Living Ghost
by pandorabox82
Summary: Leah Faulkner came to Holby General for a reason, and that was to find out more about what happened to her sister. Will she be able to find out what happened before something truly tragic happens? Or will the people who hurt Roxanna get away with what they've done?
1. Chapter 1

John stared down at Roxanna, a tiny smirk on his lips as he watched her eyes track his movements. It was the only thing she could move, and it pleased him no end that he had her under his control to such an extent. Now, there would be no need to try and separate her from Henrik, and he could have the best of both worlds. Leaning down, he caressed her face tenderly before taking a seat on the bed next to her. "I know that I'll eventually have to release you from this prison, Roxanna, but for right now, you're in no position to worry about when that time will be. Do not worry, I know exactly how long I can string you along until the mental deterioration is too great to even think about reversing what's happened, and I will not allow it to get that far. Because I love you, Roxy."

As he watched her face carefully, a few tears began to slowly track down her face, rolling towards her hair. Stretching out on her body, he gently flicked a few of those tears away before tracing her features with his fingers. He almost imagined her looking fearfully at him, and let out a soft sigh as he shook his head. "I never wanted to hurt you, darling, you must believe that. When Meena struck you with her car, it was a fine bit of kismet, because then I knew that I could have both you and Henrik in my life, without worrying about you separating us. Because he does love you, so much, Roxy."

Giving her a kinder smile, he closed the distance between their faces and pressed his lips against hers. The kiss wasn't very fulfilling, even he could admit that. A part of him imagined that it was what kissing a corpse might be like, even though Roxanna was still warm and soft and malleable. "I know there will come a day when you kiss me back with all the passion in your body, darling," he whispered in her ear before pressing another kiss to her cheek. Getting out of the bed, he could see that she was still crying, and he felt a flicker of anger flame up in his breast. "You should be grateful to me for even saving you, Roxanna. I could have let you die, locked in, helpless, alone. But now, you have a chance to live once more. And I have a chance to finish my work. Everything is falling into place exactly as it should."

Stomping over to the door, he took one last look at her before shaking his head and making his way down to the kitchen. It surprised him to see that he was still alone, since normally she was there for supper. Though perhaps there had been a surgery to take care of, so she hadn't been able to get away. John knew that there were probably people who were missing him at the hospital, but he dare not leave Roxanna alone at this juncture. He was still fearful that something might happen, and then he would have to explain how a woman, supposedly dead, was dead again, and in this place. There wouldn't be any explanation, and then this house of cards would come crashing down around him.

Letting out a deep sigh, he shook his head and grabbed a quick sandwich from the fridge before heading back up to the bedroom, taking a seat on the end of the bed and watching Roxanna intently as he ate. There was something almost soothing about the steady breaths Roxanna took, and he found himself hypnotized by the gentle rise and fall of her diaphragm. Once he had finished his sandwich, he wiped his hands in his pants before stretching out alongside Roxanna once more, his arm coming to rest around her waist as he took in a few deep breaths, allowing the feeling of her breathing to lull him into a light sleep.

The next thing he knew, John was being shaken awake by a familiar set of hands, and he blinked his eyes a little as he sat up and stretched. "Henrik was asking after you. I had to give him an excuse, but I don't think that he was really listening to me. He misses Roxanna."

"Yes, well, he still has me."

Essie gave him a little smirk as she rolled her eyes. "You're going to have to choose between them at some point, you know," she said as she took a seat on the other side of Roxanna, looking down into her face. "Though Henrik might make that choice for you when he finds out that you've been keeping her alive behind his back. And that could lead to prison time for both of us. I'd rather avoid that if possible, since I don't think I'd be treated well there."

"Neither of us would survive prison for any length of time. And considering the things we've done at Holby, under the guise of my research, I have no doubt that we would go away for a very long time." Roxanna had started to cry once more, and he reached up to wipe them away once more. "I should probably head back to Holby, and conveniently run into Henrik in order to allay his suspicions. Take care of her while I'm gone, and if you want to search for an in home care agency so that we can spend more time at Holby, at least until the ghost of Roxanna leaves the place, that would probably be wise." Essie nodded and then John turned his attention back to Roxanna. "I have to go now, darling, but I'll be back soon, and we can see about what we can do to make you happier."

Not caring that Essie was watching, he bent down and kissed Roxanna once more, stroking her hair softly before getting off the bed and making his way to the door. John left without looking back, knowing that Essie would probably be glaring at him. She had already gotten on his case about him being a little too close to Roxanna, when she was currently locked in, and he didn't want to deal with that at the moment, not when he had to focus on coming up with a believable excuse for his absence. After all, it might be difficult to explain why he was going to be absent at random times for the foreseeable future, and he had to get Henrik to trust him implicitly before he decided to do a little more digging into why Roxanna had had a closed casket funeral, and how Essie had gotten her friend to do the postmortem instead of the doctor on call that day. There was such a carefully constructed narrative that they had to navigate, and John was not about to allow it to come crashing down around him, if he could help it. And if he needed to take Essie out to ensure that happened, well, she would just be another casualty on his road to making the perfect family from the ashes of this awful incident.


	2. Chapter 2

Leah adjusted her shirt as she took another look at herself in the mirror. She needed to make certain that she made a wonderful first impression, since there was more on the line than just her job. Picking up her mobile, she woke it up so that she could look at her background picture, smiling at it before slipping the device into her pocket and slinging her purse over her shoulder before making her way out to her car. The drive to her new hospital was short, something she was grateful for, since that meant she could always sneak home if she needed to check something on her personal laptop.

As she drove, she thought about the woman who would be her mentor. Serena Campbell was one of the better surgeons at Holby General, though she knew that Henrik Hanssen was also quite good as well. Still, she knew that at any moment, the man could be asked to step into the role of acting CEO, and that would get her no closer to her goal of finding out what had happened to her sister. Leah refused to let herself grow maudlin when she thought of the sibling she had never met, of the father she had never met, but it was hard to do. Shaking her head a little, she pulled into a parking spot and then took a few deep breaths.

"You can do this, Leah. No one on staff knows about the connection, since she didn't even know about you. And you'll be working with a woman who is a lot like you, and perhaps you can use that to your advantage," she told herself in the rearview mirror before smiling slightly and exiting out of the car. Thanks to her orientation the day before, she knew exactly which floor to head up to, and she took a deep breath as she made her way inside. Knowing that she needed some caffeine to help keep her sharp that morning, she went over to the coffee shop and joined the queue. From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Serena, having done a little light social media stalking in order to be able to ingratiate herself a little more quickly with the woman.

Finally, she reached the front of the line and ordered a flat white, sipping at it as she waited for the lift to arrive. As she rode up to the correct floor, Leah tried to keep in mind that her job here would be much different from the job she had experienced while working with _M__é__decins Sans Fronti__è__res_. The pace would be so much more laid back, she was more than certain, but it still stung a little that she would have to begin as an F1, since she had so much training under her belt already. Stepping off the lift, she made her way to the door, swiping her ID card and entering the ward.

Pausing, she took a brief look around at the hustle and bustle, trying to let the rhythm of the ward seep into her bones, since she knew that it would be easier to settle into her first day if she knew what was going on and how the staff handled things. A friendly looking woman in scrubs approached her, and she smiled in return, her eyes darting to her ID. "Hello, I'm Donna, I'm the head nurse for this ward. You must be Leah. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise. Um, I wasn't assigned a locker at orientation. Is there a place that I could stow my purse?"

"Yeah, I'll show you where our locker room is, and if you brought a lock of your own, I'll show you the best of the free lockers."

Leah nodded, feeling welcomed at once by Donna's sunny demeanor. "That would be wonderful, thank you. So, what's it like on AAU?"

"Hectic. We get a lot of the ED overflow, and we're expected to treat and street as soon as we can, and if we can't, we're supposed to send them to the correct department. So you won't be seeing any so called flashy injuries, but you will be getting to know patients a little better than you would there. Your CV mentioned that you are more accustomed to being on the go."

"Yes, well, being in a warzone makes one more accustomed to working as quickly and correctly as one can." Donna nodded as she opened the door to the locker room. "So, which of these is the best?"

"This one," Donna said as she guided her over to a middle locker. "It's also right next to mine, so if you have any problems that you need taking care of, but don't want to say anything to Ms Campbell, you can slip them into my locker, and I'll see about getting them taken care of."

She nodded and opened the locker, stuffing her purse in there before pulling a combination lock out of her pocket and attaching it to the door. Shrugging off her coat, she hung it on a free peg before smoothing her shirt once more, turning to look at Donna. "So, what can you tell me about the doctors on the ward?"

"Well, you'll get to know Ms Campbell for yourself, since you'll be working so closely with her. We also have Mister Griffin, and he's a bit gruff on the outside, but when you get to know him, you'll find that he really does have a heart of gold. And then there's Xavier Duvall, who is our current registrar. There are others who you'll get to know, but those three really are the glue that hold our ward together."

Leah nodded as she followed Donna out of the locker room and back onto the ward. "All right, where do I start?"

"How about you do rounds with me, so that you get a feel for the ward?"

"Lead the way." Donna nodded as she led her to the first bay of beds, filling her in on the patient before allowing Leah to take the lead and check the vitals before she started to try and diagnose the issue that the woman had. It would have gone infinitely better had the woman not chosen to throw up all over her just at the moment that Serena approached, and she gave the woman a sheepish look, knowing that this was not the first impression she had wanted to give the woman.

"This is why we normally wear scrubs, Doctor Faulkner. Thankfully, we have a full assortment available in our locker room."

Leah nodded as she got to her feet, scurrying over in the direction of the locker room and shutting herself inside before rummaging around in the stack of scrubs until she found a set in her size, quickly changing into them before taking her shirt into the washroom and quickly washing out the sick before squeezing out the excess water and then taking it back to the locker room and stuffing it into her locker before heading back out onto the floor.

"Are you feeling a little better now that you're clean?"

She turned her head quickly to see Serena standing far too close to her, causing her to back up as she nodded. "Indeed, I am. Though there are some advantages to being dirty, too." Serena let out a sharp bark of a laugh as she patted her shoulder, and Leah knew that it would be much easier to get in Serena's good graces than she had thought. But as long as it brought her more information on her half-sister, she didn't really care that she would be exploiting new friendships. That was one of the prices she would have to pay, and could only hope that she would still be friends with some of these people once she had what she needed.


	3. Chapter 3

Her first week had gone smoothly, and Leah found herself getting along quite well with Donna and Serena. They made a good team, and even though she knew that she was supposed to be focusing on breaking down Serena's defenses towards her, there was still a small part of her that wanted to explore things with Donna a little more. She just got this vibe from the woman that told her she might get somewhere with her. Thoughts like that, however, would not see her any closer to her goal, she needed to keep her focus on Serena and the goal she had had in mind when she decided to come to Holby City General.

And so, she had entered her second week with the same optimism as she had had her first week, finding things going a little more smoothly as she grew more comfortable with the slower pace. Her anxiety over taking care of the patients as quickly as possible was fading into the same rhythm that Serena used, and she found herself growing more confident with what she was doing on the ward.

"You did a great job there in theatre," Serena said as she gave her a wide smile.

"Thanks. I know that I don't have a lot of experience in theatre, so it was great to work with you today." She reached out and touched Serena's upper arm lightly, making certain to keep eye contact with her as she lowered the pitch of her voice a little. "I have this feeling that I am going to be learning so much under you, Ms Campbell."

The woman swallowed thickly as a deep flush spread up her chest and across her face. Fanning herself with her hand, Serena's smile bobbled a little as she nodded. "Yes, you just need to keep watching and learning," she muttered as she took a step backwards, stumbling into an empty gurney a porter was pushing past them. "I, I have to go work on some paperwork."

Leah nodded as she gave first Serena, and then the porter, a winning smile before turning and making her way over to the nurses' station. Donna was sitting behind it, talking to someone on the phone, and she paused a moment to listen in on the conversation. "…sooner, the better. Thank you, Professor Gaskell." Hanging up the phone, Donna grinned up at her and shrugged. "We have a case that needs a neurological consult, which is a little unusual. Those cases normally land on Keller. If Ms MacMillan were still alive, she would have been down here in an instant. Her heart was always with the patients, they always came first, before research, before personal troubles. We all could have learned a thing or two from her, but she was gone before we all did."

Leah's heart lurched in her chest at these new facets to her half-sister, and she tried to keep her face placid as she nodded. "What happened to her?" she asked, hoping she sounded just the right level of interested so as not to arouse suspicion of why she was asking after the doctor.

"One of our previous F1s hit her with her car, and caused a massive brain trauma. For a time, we thought she was going to make it, but then everything went wrong, and Professor Gaskell did everything he could , but still lost her. Poor Mister Hanssen hasn't been himself since her death, but no one really knows how to reach him."

Leah nodded sympathetically, filing away that information in the back of her mind so that she could add it to her notebook on her break. These were some of the things that she had wanted to uncover about her half-sister, so she was glad to get it from any source. "And this Professor Gaskell?"

A dark look quickly passed over Donna's face, and she wondered why she would react like that. "He's very much involved with his research. I don't understand it all, but I know that it's supposed to be revolutionary. I just get this weird feeling around him, though."

"Really?"

Donna nodded as she leaned forward, almost conspiratorially. "He reminds me of a lizard, or a snake, honestly. There's just something coldblooded about his eyes that unsettles me."

Again, Leah filed this bit of information away, since it felt relevant to her search into Roxanna's background. If one of her colleagues was a little shady, perhaps that would be another in for her to find out exactly what had happened. After all, despite her digging, she hadn't even been able to find an obituary for the woman, let alone any mention of her passing in the local news. Shaking her head a little, she gave Donna a sympathetic smile before answering her. "So, what's this case that he'll be assisting us with?"

"You don't want to cosy up to him, do you?"

"No, but it's always better to learn how not to be as a doctor from those who might not have the best bedside manner, right? While learning from Ms Campbell on who I should be as a doctor, I have to know who not to be as well."

"You do have a good head on your shoulders, Leah," Donna said with a grin as she got to her feet and guided her over to the private room that normally held the more critical patients. Leah sanitized her hands before giving a quick examination of the woman. It was clear that she was suffering from a neurological injury of some sort, and as she went to make a few notes in her file, the door swung open, and a shorter man bustled in, trying to look important.

"Are you the one who called…" His voice trailed off as he looked into her face, and Leah blinked rapidly as she tried to figure out what about her had caused Professor Gaskell to just stop talking. Standing up straight, she smoothed her hair and tried to smile, again wanting to leave a good impression on the man, since she didn't know who she would need to rely on in order to find out more about Roxanna during her time at the hospital. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

"Doctor Leah Faulkner, the newest F1 on AAU," she said, trying to keep her voice sunny and smooth as she extended her hand towards him. He shook it limply, still staring at her face, the color drained from his own features. If she didn't know better, he was acting like he was looking at a ghost. She knew that she looked passingly like her sister, but this reaction was a little over the top, and she felt her smile faltering a little, threatening to turn into a full frown when he let go of her hand and then took the tablet from her other hand, scrolling through the notes before waving her away.

Stung, she backed out of the room before turning on her heel and stalking over to Serena's office, knocking twice before letting herself in. The older woman was on the phone when she entered, so Leah took a seat on the chair closest to the desk, staring at Serena and trying not to listen in on who she was talking to. After a few moments, Serena hung up and then returned her stare before cocking her head to one side. "What can I do for you, Doctor Faulkner?"

"Is Professor Gaskell always a jerk?" As soon as those words left her lips, Leah wished that she had spoken a little more delicately, as Serena arched an eyebrow at her. "I'm sorry, there was probably a more politic way to say that, but that was the first descriptor that came to mind. He came in to diagnose the patient with the suspected neurological injury, and when he came into the room to examine her, he acted like he had seen a ghost and then proceeded to brush me off, shooing me from the room. How am I supposed to learn if I'm not given the opportunity to do so?"

"You do have a point there," Serena murmured as she gave Leah a hard, questioning, look. Somehow, she knew that this would not blow over quickly, and that there might be repercussions into her bringing this grievance to Serena so soon after she had started working for Holby City. Hoping that that wasn't the case, Leah smiled tremulously before getting to her feet and making a hasty exit from the office, hoping that if she kept her head down and stayed out of Serena and Gaskell's way for a little while that this would all be forgotten soon enough.


	4. Chapter 4

Leah had found herself staying quiet for the rest of that shift and using her day off to try and regroup and write down as much information as she could recall about the hospital and the little clues she had managed to find out about her half-sister and the people she worked with. The picture that she was starting to form was not a pleasant one, though everyone seemed nice enough on the surface. It seemed as if there was a major problem with this Professor Gaskell, and no one would speak out against him, or his pet project, which currently was eating up a massive amount of the discretionary budget.

Knowing that she would need to uncover more information to see how this would fit into the puzzle of her half-sister's life, Leah sighed as she closed the notebook and shoved it into her purse before heading out. It was a nice enough day that she felt comfortable taking her motorcycle rather than her car, and the wind streaming across her face brought a certain sense of peace to her troubled mind as she rode in. Parking the bike, she made certain to lock it up well before heading inside. She had just locked everything away in her locker when Donna came into the locker room and flashed her a sheepish smile. "What is it?"

"I am supposed to tell you that you are wanted up in Hanssen's office. I guess that he wants a word with you?"

Leah frowned as she leaned back against her locker, staring at Donna. "I'm afraid that I don't know who this Hanssen is."

"Oh, that's right, you were hired by Abigail Tate, when she was our CEO. It seems that she was suddenly called away from her job, and our previous CEO, Henrik Hanssen is the acting CEO until he's either appointed into the role once more, or someone else takes the job."

Leah let out a long, controlled, breath as her mind raced, trying to think of a reason why she was being summoned to the CEO's office. The only thing she could think of was that Serena had mentioned something to him about her misgivings in regards to Professor Gaskell. "When am I supposed to meet him?"

"As soon as you got here. Do you know how to get up to the CEO's office?"

"I vaguely remember, yes."

Donna shook her head a little as she settled her hand between Leah's shoulders. "I'll take you up. It's never fun to head up there alone." Leah smiled as she nodded, allowing Donna to guide her over to the lift, and they rode up in a comfortable silence. "All right, his office is the second door down on the right. Good luck, and try not to worry too much. Mister Hanssen may glower and glare, but there truly is a gentle, kind, heart beneath his stony exterior. He's just had a lot of losses lately that have affected him. Try to keep that in mind when you talk with him."

"I will, thanks, Donna." She reached out and patted her shoulder lightly as she took a deep breath and made her way down the hall to Mister Hanssen's office. Raising her hand, she knocked three times and then waited for him to call her inside. She tried not to feel like she was a naughty schoolgirl, but that was how she was feeling, since she had no idea why she had been summoned here.

"Come in!"

His voice was nothing like she had imagined, and she drew in another deep breath as she turned the handle to let herself inside. He was sitting behind the desk, writing something, and she felt her brow furrow a little as she tried to reconcile the very proper British accent with the very Swedish name. "You wished to see me, Mister Hanssen?"

He nodded as he set his pencil aside, and Leah couldn't help but notice that he made certain to straighten his pen and then adjust his tie before raising his head to look at her. She tried not to flinch as she watched his face take on the same look of shock and discomfort that Professor Gaskell had worn the first time his eyes had clapped on her. Clearing his throat, he motioned for her to take a seat, and she smoothed her trousers down her legs as she did so, trying to keep a placid mask on her face as she watched him try to get control of his reaction to her. "Doctor Faulkner, Ms Campbell said that you had a bit of a bad interaction with Professor Gaskell?"

"I did," she replied evenly, continuing to meet his gaze steadily. "But I have to ask, before we go any further, why did you give me the same look that Professor Gaskell did the first time that he saw me? It's a little unnerving to be looked at like you're some shade come to haunt someone."

Hanssen cleared his throat once more, looking incredibly uncomfortable in that moment. Glancing over at a photo frame on his desk, he drew in a few breaths before looking back at her. "You look like someone that I used to know, a very long time ago. The resemblance is almost uncanny between the two of you, when she was your age."

Leah swallowed thickly, wondering if she had been found out already, before she had been able to find out everything she needed to know about Roxanna, and she shook her head a little before blinking and giving him a small smile. "Who do I remind you of?"

"My dear friend, Roxanna MacMillan. I wasn't aware that she had any siblings, however, we lost contact after she married David." That was another name to file away, to look into and see how he fit in to the mosaic of Roxanna's life. "I know this is probably too personal a question for me to ask, but I have to know. Are you at all related to Roxanna MacMillan?"

"I've never encountered that name at family reunions, so I don't believe so. She must have made quite an impression on you and Professor Gaskell if you looked at me the same way upon first glance." Leah smiled at him, trying to put on the most innocent, sweet, look so that he would be more inclined to believe her. Hanssen nodded slowly as he leaned back in his chair, studying her intently. "But you wanted to know if I had an issue with Professor Gaskell?"

"Yes. Ms Campbell told me that he was a bit abrupt with you?"

"Yes, I suppose that would be the best way to describe the situation. I was a bit more colorful in my words when I spoke with Ms Campbell, however." Hanssen chuckled a little, which put her more at ease, and she gave him a small smile. "I just didn't realise that some doctors don't particularly care to let F1s learn from them, preferring them to take backseats to their brilliance."

A wry smile slipped across his face as he cocked his head to one side. "I will agree that there are certain people who prefer to have a more solitary experience when it comes to healing others. Though I feel that John's reticence might stem from our recent mutual loss." Leah fought to keep from reacting to that piece of information, though she knew that it was another piece of Roxanna's backstory, something she had missed out on. Nodding a little, she leaned in, wanting to appear interested in what Hanssen had to say, knowing that for now, her cover was still intact."


	5. Chapter 5

Leah sighed as she brushed her fringe out of her eyes. It had been a particularly long day, and there hadn't been an opportunity to do any digging into the questions that she still had about Roxanna. She knew that there was something not entirely right about the circumstances surrounding Roxanna's death. No one spoke of her, even in passing, which was odd, since so many people spoke of a Raf and an Arthur. Frowning, she sank down onto the bench in the locker room and buried her face in her hands as she struggled to breathe normally, feeling overwhelmed by how little she thought she was fitting in. Despite her best efforts to get close to Donna and Xav, they seemed to be in their own little worlds, while Serena was the forbidden fruit that she couldn't have.

The door creaked open, and she shot her head up to see that the very woman she had been thinking of had appeared in the doorway, and she gave her a fleeting smile as she came inside the room and took a seat on the bench next to her. There was something so warm about the proximity of her, and Leah had to fight to keep from scooting closer to her as they allowed silence to grow between them. Finally, though, Serena cleared her throat and Leah turned her body so that she was facing the woman, giving her her full attention as she waited for Serena to speak. "Is everything okay, Doctor Faulkner?"

Leah pursed her lips together as she thought about what to say to Serena. There were so many things that she wanted to ask her about, but she wasn't ready to reveal who she was to them just yet, because she knew that if everyone knew about her connection to Roxanna, it would be far harder to get unbiased information out of them, as they would just view her differently. Glancing away from Serena, she took a deep breath as she tried to figure out what she wanted to tell the woman. "I just feel like I'm not fitting in here as well as I should be. I'm older than Nicki or Meena, Donna is wrapped up with Xav, and Ric doesn't care for me at all. There's just you and Mister Hanssen who have truly tried to make me feel like I belong here. I just thought that it would be easier to find friends here."

"It's hard to find your footing, I know. It took me a good six months before I finally clicked with Ric, and even then we came to loggerheads more often than not. You seem perfectly nice, but maybe the friends you're looking for aren't on AAU. Have you met anyone from Keller? There are a lot of friendly faces around your age there."

"I'll have to look there, I guess," Leah replied, smiling sadly. "You're going to have to introduce me, you know. There aren't many opportunities to visit the other wards, after all."

"Well, you could come with me to Albie's tonight. I think a lot of the staff are going to be there, and I can guide you a little."

"So you'll be my social mentor along with my educational mentor?" she teased, watching Serena blush deeply. It was so easy to get a rise out of her, and Leah leaned in a little further, tilting her head to one side as an electric feeling filled the air between them. She knew that she was playing with fire, that Bernie could very well kill her and hide her body, but still there was this pull that led her to throw caution to the wind as she licked her lips and waited to see what might happen next. Serena let out a little sigh as she started to lean forward, only to stop a few millimeters away from Leah's face.

"This can't happen," Serena said breathily, and Leah shrugged a little as she closed the tiny distance between them, pressing her lips softly against Serena's. It was a tender kiss, but there was no passion, no spark, there. Pulling away, Leah furrowed her brow as she tried to figure out why she could have such chemistry with the woman and yet have a dud kiss. "What were you expecting? That I would ravish you here in a public changing room?"

Leah pulled away and folded her hands in her lap as she shook her head. "I thought that I was getting signals from you, obviously I read the situation completely wrong. I am so sorry, I will never do that again." She felt like her world was crumbling to dust around her, and she curled up in a tight ball as she pulled away from Serena, trying to find a way out of this horribly embarrassing situation. Nothing seemed to spring to mind, and she let a few tears flow as she got up and went over to her locker, feeling like it would just be better to have a hole open up in the floor and swallow her whole, even if that meant that she never found out what happened to her sister.

The feel of Serena's hand between her shoulder blades startled her, and she bumped her head into her locker as she turned to face the woman. "And now you've gone and made yourself bleed, Doctor Faulkner. Come along, I'll get you a plaster and fix your face before we head over to Albie's."

"You're still going to be nice to me?" she asked, and she watched Serena's face fall a little as she nodded. "Why?"

"Because we all make mistakes, Leah. It's how we choose to move on from them that determines how we'll be treated in the future."

There was a slight warning in Serena's voice, and Leah nodded as she grabbed her bag from her locker and then closed the door with a loud thud, latching the lock before following Serena back onto the ward and over to her office. Leah sank down onto a chair, watching as Serena pulled out a small first aid kit from her desk and rustled around in it until she had what she wanted. Coming over to Leah's side, she squeezed out a bit of antiseptic gel and dabbed it onto the wound before placing a plaster over it and then patted her shoulder lightly before putting the gel away and grabbing her purse. "So, who do you think that I'll like from the other wards?"

"I think that Lofty would be a good friend for you. He's tender, and somehow I think that that is exactly what you need at this current moment. I don't know who's hurt you in the past, but it's quite obvious that someone has." Serena seemed close to tears, which just about broke Leah's heart, and she shrugged a little, not liking how close to the truth Serena seemed to be discerning. "Someday, someone will heal the broken parts in you, but that is not me, please understand that. I've found the love of my life, and whilst she may be away in Kenya, I know that she'll return, and until then, I will remain faithful. You see, Bernie's already started to heal my broken pieces, and I don't know where I'd be without her."

Leah nodded, trying to swallow the tears that were clogging her throat, knowing that she had come perilously close to not only destroying her career, but her friendship with Serena, and Serena's relationship with Bernie. Perhaps chasing ghosts wasn't the smartest idea, but still, she needed to see this through to the bitter end, no matter what she found out.


	6. Chapter 6

Things were still awkward around Serena the next morning, even though she had made the effort to get along with Lofty and Dom at Albie's. Serena was right, Lofty was a gentle, tender, person, and Leah had the feeling that she might break him if they ended up friends, since he truly only seemed to see the best in people. Serena had ducked out shortly after introducing them, which had made sense, but Leah had missed her presence.

And now, they were dancing around each other, trying to be friendly with each other while not really saying anything of substance. Donna seemed to know that something was off, since she looked at them askance, and Leah just shook her head with a little smile, hoping that the woman wouldn't ask any questions or try to pry into why they were avoiding each other. Thankfully, her break came up a lot quicker than she had anticipated, as a busy ward had made time pass quickly. "Are you heading to the café to grab a bite to eat?" Donna asked, giving her a warm smile.

"No, not today. I think I'm going to explore the hospital a little more, make myself a little more familiar with this place. I mean, I won't always be on AAU, I still have to do rotations elsewhere before I settle into my specialty."

"That is true. Well, enjoy!"

She nodded and made her way out to the stairwell. One thing that she had learned last night was just how close Lofty had worked with Roxanna, and that had led to her learning that her sister had been caught up with John Gaskell, burying herself in his research after the death of her husband and losing her boundaries with a patient. Leah had asked a few more questions, trying to sound innocuous. Dom had given her a few odd looks, but hadn't pressed her for why she was asking.

Leah felt like she had a thousand eyes watching her as she slowly made her way down to the basement, knowing that was where the lab was. She didn't meet many people on her way down, there was just that building feeling of paranoia that she was going to get caught, and then she would have to reveal what she was truly doing at Holby, and then she would never be able to ascertain anything about Roxanna's life. By the time she reached the basement, her nerves were hyperaware, and she had to take a few deep breaths before setting off down the hall, into the dim lighting. "Is there some unwritten law that says all basements have to be so fricking creepy?" she murmured aloud, needing to hear her voice break the oppressive silence she was encountering.

That just seemed to make things worse, though, since even the small sound of her voice reverberated through the hall, further amplifying just how alone she was down there, and that anything could happen if she wasn't careful. Shivering a little, Leah started peeking in the doors she was passing, finding most of them locked, which was frustrating. But from the few solid doors that she opened, Leah began to notice a pattern that allowed her to slink past those ones – they were, for the most part, filled with spare parts, or storage, or broken bits and bobs that hadn't been disposed of yet.

Fifty yards in front of her, she noticed a strange glow, and she let out a deep breath as she finally had some sense of where to head. Just as she was reaching the goal, she heard a noise, and Leah slipped into a shadowed alcove, trying to breathe as quietly as possible. "I feel like I'm in a horror movie," she said, barely vocalizing her words. Still, the soft tone sounded like a clanging bell to her oversensitive ears, and she clamped her lips together as she intently listened for more noises, trying to determine if it was safe for her to continue on or not.

After an eternity of moments, she didn't hear any other noises, so she crept out from her place in the shadows and made her way over to the door. The lights were on in the lab, revealing the sterility of the place, and she wondered if anything of her sister remained in there. Leah's hand fumbled for the doorknob, and she brought it down, trying to get inside only for the door not to open. Frowning, Leah jiggled the handle multiple times, feeling frustrated at the fact that it wasn't opening, especially when she was so close to her goal.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Leah gasped at the sound of an angry, feminine, voice and every muscle in her body tensed up as her hand dropped to her side. Turning slowly, she saw a blonde nurse, wearing Keller scrubs, glaring at her. Leah would almost swear that if looks could kill, she would be dead on the spot, that's how angry the woman appeared, and she allowed her eyes to dart around the uniform, trying to find her ID badge so that she knew who was addressing her. Clearing her throat, Leah brought her eyes back up to meet the older woman's and allowed her face to harden into a set, petulant, look. "I was sent down here by Ms Campbell to find Professor Gaskell. She had a few questions for him, but didn't have time to come down here herself."

"Well, he's not in his office, as you can clearly see. Who are you?"

"Doctor Leah Faulkner, Ms Campbell's F1. And you?"

She knew that she sounded dangerously imperious, but it was too late to change her tone. Leah watched the woman bristle and wondered if she had pushed her too far. "I'm Essie De Luca. I'll be certain to let John know that you were down here looking for him when he gets back, but if Ms Campbell needs a neurological consult, she'll have to find the locum."

Leah knew when she was being dismissed, so she nodded sharply before turning on her heel and taking calm, measured, steps back towards the staircase she had used, feeling Essie's eyes on her the entire time. She knew that she couldn't react the way she wanted to, since that would tell the woman that she had been lying to her face. Finally, she reached her destination, but it wasn't until she had climbed one set of stairs that Leah allowed herself to breathe normally, to try and regain some of her composure as she felt her heart beat so rapidly that she was surprised it didn't burst forth from her chest. "You're stupid, Leah. If that Essie talks to Serena, she'll know that you were snooping around where you shouldn't be, and then it's game over for you."

Rubbing her cheeks absently, Leah finally got her body back under control and she ran up the rest of the stairs, needing to take a few moments to eat before she headed back on the ward to do her job. Donna caught her eye, giving her an encouraging smile as she went past her, and Leah returned the gesture, feeling like she had to make certain that she was making inroads with everyone here, just in cae Essie did try to make a scene and accuse her of trying to be where she didn't belong.


	7. Chapter 7

Leah knew that her close call the previous day meant that she shouldn't go back to the basement during her break that afternoon. So she had instead packed her laptop in her bag that morning, planning to use it to try and find out as much as she could about this project that Roxanna had been working on. "Ms Campbell? Do you think that I could use the office while I eat? I have some research to catch up on, so I brought my laptop with me just in case it might be free."

Serena looked up at her, giving Leah a small smile as she nodded. "That would be fine. There's a free desk in there, since Ric is off today. Do try to be quiet, however, as I have some important work to do in there myself."

Leah nodded as she turned and made her way to the locker room. Her fingers quickly unlocked her locker and pulled her bag out, heading to the office before pulling out her food and laptop, setting everything up before opening her browser in incognito mode, wanting to make certain that everything she looked up was not broadcast to everyone in the area. The first thing she did was do another cursory search for Roxanna's obituary. Once more, nothing turned up, and she let out a frustrated sigh as she carded her fingers through her hair.

"Not finding what you want?" Serena asked off-handedly, and she shook her head.

"I'll just have to dig a little harder," she said lowly as she bent back over the keyboard and tapped away, deciding to take a different tack, finding a few of the papers that Roxanna had written over the course of her career and downloading them to her laptop before deciding to dig around for more information on Professor Gaskell, knowing that he was the common chaos factor here.

As she ate, she found herself stymied at every turn, as there was very little on the internet about Gaskell's trial other than a few articles critical of his methodology, since it was clear that he was being extremely secretive about how he was doing things, something that left a lot of the medical community in an uproar. "Is there anything in particular I could help you with?"

Leah looked up at Serena in surprise, remembering the admonishment to stay quiet while she worked, since her mentor had a lot of get accomplished. "I'm not certain where to start. I was down in the basement a few days ago, looking for something, and noticed that there was an experiment being conducted there. Only, I got told off by a nurse for snooping, when that wasn't my intention in the slightest. All I know is that a Professor Gaskell is running the trial, but I can't seem to get a clear understanding about what's going on."

"Oh, god, not you, too," the woman muttered, and she frowned as continued to look at Serena, waiting for her to answer. "Meena couldn't decide if she wanted to work on that damned trial or learn to be a competent doctor and surgeon. Despite our difference of opinion, I know that you have the potential to be a wonderful doctor. Don't go chasing after something that has destroyed so many lives here."

"I'm sorry?"

Serena cleared her throat before looking away from Leah. "I never was comfortable with what John was doing down there. Henrik wouldn't listen to my objections, since he's always been close to John and Roxanna. I guess that they were in school together at one point. Rigden, I think it was called? Anyway, something happened, and Roxanna died, and still the trial goes on, with a number of deaths haunting it, and no one seeming to want to tell Henrik that it's time to pull the plug on it."

"Oh. Well. Do you think that I might go talk with him about it? Seeing as how he's closer to the subject at hand?"

"It's your choice, Leah. Just, don't get attached to the idea of joining the trial, the only person who has lasted any length of time is Nurse de Luca, everyone else has been quickly exchanged for someone else."

Leah nodded, giving Serena a small smile before closing her laptop and tucking it beneath her arm before heading for the door. "I will keep that in mind, thank you." Before Serena could reply, she turned down the hall and went to the lifts, pressing the button and checking her phone to see how much time she had left on her break. Letting out a short breath to see how fine she was going to be cutting it, Leah shook out her shoulders before stepping onto the lift and heading up to Hanssen's office.

Once she was outside his door, Leah cleared her throat before lifting her hand and knocking softly. "Enter!" came a strong voice, and she smiled to think about Roxanna must have reacted to the sound of it. Taking a few breaths, Leah let herself in and looked towards the desk, seeing that he was seated, his gaze focused on the papers in front of him that he was signing. "How may I help you, Ms Faulkner?"

"I was hoping that I could discuss a few things with you about the hospital, but only if you have the time. Ms Campbell suggested that you might have more answers for me than what I'm finding."

The small lie caught in her throat a little, but Hanssen seemed to take no notice of it. Instead, he signed one last sheet of paper before looking up at her, indicating that she should take a seat in one of the chairs. "Well, if Serena is sending you to me, then it truly must be serious. What can I do for you?"

"I want to know more about Gaskell's trial. I was down in the basement earlier this week, and came upon the lab, but Essie treated me like I was some sort of interloper, like I had gone down there to spy on Professor Gaskell's work, and I felt very unwelcome, as if I had stumbled into some place I wasn't supposed to be. Did I miss something that said I shouldn't be curious?"

She was toeing the line she had set for herself, she knew as much, but she wanted to know more about why everyone was so polarized by the man. "John is a very private individual, and I believe that Nurse de Luca is rather protective of him. At least, I've been on the receiving end of one of her fearsome stares, and I'm John's closest friend, so try not to take it personally, Ms Faulkner. And while you might want to join in on this endeavor, I have the feeling that he would not welcome another person at the moment. Even I have trouble getting into the lab, as much as I would like to see what he's currently working on." Hanssen focused his piercing gaze on her, and she shivered a little at the intensity, knowing that he was sizing her up even then. "Is there anything else that you wish to know? It sounded like there were multiple questions that you wished to ask."

Leah nodded as she leaned forward. "Tell me more about the woman who was working with Professor Gaskell, I believe her name was Roxanna MacMillan?" She watched Hanssen blanch a little before he absently straightened the line of pencils in front of him, even though they were already perfectly aligned. And then he raised him head once more, looked her dead in the eye and nodded.


	8. Chapter 8

"She was a brilliant doctor," was the first thing Hanssen said about her sister, and she nodded in response. "I always knew that she would change the world, even back in school. So it made sense that she would work on John's project. We all should have worked on it together, but I couldn't commit to it after everything that happened with the hospital. Roxanna needed a different outlet for her obsessive attention to detail, and so I pushed her towards John, hoping that that would allow her to find a more positive outlet for her. And I think that it might have worked, if it had been just her and John. Adding Essie and Meena to the mix made it too volatile, and I know that it made her paranoid. And then…"

Leah leaned in, knowing that he was trying to find the words to tell her about the way that Roxanna had died. "Yes? I know that something bad must have happened, because whenever I hear anything about her, it's always said in those hushed tones that indicate something horrid befell a person."

He nodded, folding his hands over his torso as he continued to look at her. Behind his glasses, she could see that his eyes were starting to grow wet with unshed tears, and she licked her lips, suddenly wondering if she had made the right decision by bringing up her sister. She didn't want to cause the man any pain, since he had been kind to her from the moment she had started at Holby, and she knew that she needed an ally like him, especially after her little blunder with Serena. "She was struck by a vehicle driven by Meena Chowdry. For a while, it appeared that she would make it through, but then we just…lost her."

"Oh," she breathed out, suddenly feeling the loss of her sister so much more intimately in that moment. It was hard to blink back her own tears, knowing that if she cracked in that moment, she would never be able to explain why, and that Hanssen would be one less person she could trust in the scheme of things. Given that Essie despised her, and that Serena was, at best, neutral to her, she didn't need to alienate yet another person. "That is so sad. I can't imagine losing a longtime friend to a freak accident!"

Hanssen shrugged as he pulled his glasses off his face and cleaned them with his pocket square. "It was quite the shock for me, yes." She knew that he was holding something back, but didn't want to push him to say anything, somehow knowing that he was intensely private, and that any mourning he might do should be done in the safety of his own home. "But everyone should be afforded the opportunity to do whatever their heart's desire might be."

"I have that same belief, honestly. That was part of what drew me to Holby for my foundation training. I know that I might have a bit of a leg up over some of my peers, due to my time at my previous job. There was a lot of hands on learning, though I know that I missed a few of the finer points along the way. Ms Campbell is trying her best to instill in me a proper work tempo."

Hanssen let out a throaty chuckle, and she smiled impishly at him, allowing a bit of her true self to shine through to him. He seemed to relax a little, though it was hard to tell, since he held himself so still that it was difficult to tell. "Serena is very good at making certain those she mentors come out of their rotation with her very methodical, precise, and quick. I have no doubt that you are in the best of hands here."

"I have the same feeling." This time, she thought she detected a slight bit of mirth in his gaze before she looked down at the laptop on her legs. "Can I ask something really weird, just so that we both know it's weird before I ask it?" He nodded. "Why doesn't anyone talk about the staff who died here? I know that in the peace garden, there's a plaque to a doctor who passed from cancer, and there's a memorial outside to who I'm assuming was Essie's husband, but…they're never really mentioned, like they're a cipher in a book that's never reviewed. Why is that?"

There was a long pause, and Leah watched the way Hanssen's face moved, the micro expressions telling her that he was giving a great deal of thought as to why she might ask that question. Finally, he took a deep breath and looked up at her once more. "There are some wounds here that are still a little too open and raw, and as such, people take care not to bring them up. Unfortunately, it seems like Roxanna will end up being one of those wounds." He pursed his lips together, and she nodded. "People leave us, and sometimes, the leaving is made all the worse by the way they leave."

"I know that too well," she murmured, blinking rapidly as she tried to get control of her emotions that were rapidly slipping out of control. It wasn't until Hanssen reached across the desk and waved a linen handkerchief in her face that she realized that she had indeed started crying, and she took the cloth from his hand, swiping at the tears on her cheeks. "Sorry, I was just thinking about some of my colleagues that were lost at my last overseas posting. Sometimes it's difficult to comprehend that they're gone, and that was why we would always talk about the ones lost along the way."

"Perhaps that is the better way to treat loss. I wouldn't know, since that has never been my reaction to loss." She nodded as she took a deep breath, putting her best smile on her lips as she twisted the damp handkerchief between her fingers. "Now, I do not want to leave you feeling so down. Would you like to see the lab and get to meet Professor Gaskell for yourself? I know that you might not get a place working on his trial, but this might remove some of the curiosity that was clearly piqued in you."

"I'm that obvious?" she said, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear as she relaxed a little. "Though I would be glad to take you up on that offer, as long as you don't mind being a chaperone. I just feel a little uneasy around Nurse de Luca, and I think that your presence might defuse some of her more intense feelings regarding anyone being down in the basement."

Hanssen nodded as he got to his feet. "I would do nothing less, Ms Faulkner. Come along." She dipped her head as she tucked her laptop beneath her arm once more and followed him from the office, heading back down to the lifts. "I will tell you in advance that John can be a bit prickly, especially when he's focused on his work. If he's a bit abrupt, try not to take it personally, all right?"

"I will keep that in mind, Mister Hanssen," she replied softly as they stepped into the lift, and she tried to keep in mind that this was just the next step in trying to find out more about her sister, keenly aware of the fact that she had missed out on so much by never knowing about her existence until it was too late.


	9. Chapter 9

There was a growing stone in her stomach as they travelled lower and lower on the lift. Leah didn't know why she was growing fearful, since for all she knew, John Gaskell was a thoroughly lovely man, even if he was extremely driven. Perhaps it was the thought of meeting Nurse de Luca again, even if Hanssen was by her side, that made her feel off kilter. There had just been something about the way she had looked at Leah the other day that told her that she was someone not to mess with. "Mister de Luca was a doctor here, yes?" she asked finally, wanting to fill the silence of the air with something.

"Yes. He was an excellent surgeon, and had a promising career here at Holby, if he wasn't headhunted for a more prestigious hospital soon. Though I don't know if Essie would have liked that very much. For all that she says she wants to get away from here, she can't quite seem to let go of this place."

That was an interesting piece of information, and Leah filed it away, knowing that it might come in handy soon, if she had to deal with Essie any further. And given the fact that the woman was so protective over certain areas, Leah knew that it was a distinct possibility that she would have to. "There are places that seem to slip beneath our skin, holding us in place, even past the point of reason. I haven't discovered why that it, but then, my specialty was never in psychiatry."

Glancing up at Hanssen, she saw that he was smiling a little, and she relaxed at that sight, knowing that she had made an inroad with him that she hadn't expected. It seemed that he was easier to grow close to than Serena, and she wondered if that would be a better tack to take, to try and find out more about Roxanna. "One has to be in touch with their own feelings to be able to effectively address the emotional needs of other people. It was never a job for myself, either. There's something about being able to control the situation, like you can during surgery, that makes me more at ease."

The frank words took her by surprise, and she nodded as she tapped her foot absently, still trying to rid herself of the heavy feeling of dread that was settling in her stomach. The door slid open, and Hanssen was the first to step out, waiting for her to join him. She gave him a small nod, before taking a settling breath as she stepped into the basement hall, finding everything a lot less intimidating with someone by her side. Even the lighting seemed less ominous that afternoon, and Leah stepped as close to Hanssen as she dared, knowing that she couldn't appear too eager.

"What are you doing down here?"

She stiffened to hear Essie's voice, glancing at Hanssen to see that his face had taken on a tight look, as if he was offended on her behalf that Essie would speak to her so. Turning to face the woman, Leah drew herself up to her full height and tried to stare her down, knowing that she had someone by her side to stand up for her. "I have every right to be down here," she replied shortly.

"I highly doubt it, else why would Mister Hanssen be by your side? He's clearly taking care of your little spying escapades."

"Nurse de Luca! That will be enough!" Leah jumped a little at the dark tone of his voice, and even Essie seemed to be shocked at the tone, as she frowned at him before her face relaxed into a placid mask. "I was bringing Ms Faulkner down here so that she could have the opportunity to meet Professor Gaskell and see what his trial was all about. She also informed me of your earlier rudeness to her, which I had tried to take with a grain of salt, until your little overreaction just now. Do not forget that our training doctors are here to learn about every aspect of the profession, and that includes experiments and trials. Opportunities like this allow a young doctor to grow and publish, which is an important part of the job that we do. If you have any further issues with Ms Faulkner, I would thank you to take them up with me before you address her, and then I will determine if she needs to be chided or not."

Leah tried not to smile in pleasure at the way Hanssen was defending her, and Essie seemed to know that she had been thoroughly dressed down, as she shot a black look at Leah before nodding sharply. "Of course, Henrik. I don't know what I was thinking." She could tell that those words stuck in Essie's craw, and her smile slipped into a smirk as they all turned and began heading down the hall to the lab. Gaskell She was sitting at a work table, staring down a microscope, and Leah tried to control her breathing, her lungs wanting to work overtime at the look of him. "Come along," Essie muttered as she punched in a four-digit code.

Leah made certain to note what the code was, thankful for her skill in easily memorizing numbers. It had been a parlour trick growing up, but it had come in handy numerous times in her adulthood, and somehow, she knew that it was necessary now. "Hello, John. We've come to see about your progress on the trial. Ms Faulkner expressed an interest in your work, and I thought it might be good to hear about what you're working on for Josh's treatment."

The other man looked up from the microscope, his face losing all color when he looked at her. That was the second time he'd had such a reaction, and Leah couldn't help but wonder why he reacted so strongly. Perhaps she did look more like Roxanna than she had thought, but that was no reason for him to have a strong negative reaction. Unless he had something to do with her death, in which case, she would have to keep a closer eye on him and his research, hoping that she could trip him up and have things come out that should have months ago. The awkward silence was soon broken by his voice as he smiled coldly at her. "Ms Faulkner, a pleasure to meet you."

He reached out his hand and shook it firmly, and she dipped her head a little as she smiled coldly in return, finding herself just as mistrustful of him as she was of Essie. There was just something about the pair that rubbed her the wrong way, and she couldn't help but wonder if her sister had felt the same way, if that was what had led to her death, even though Hanssen had said that she had been struck by a car. There was more to that story, she just knew, but once more, she couldn't pry into the details without seeming a little too interested. And as John started prattling on about his research, Leah decided that she was going to focus her attention on Hanssen, since he seemed to be in the eye of the storm, so to speak. The sooner she got to the bottom of this mystery, the better, and he would be the one to make that happen.


	10. Chapter 10

Leah had made certain to wait a few days before her next move, knowing that she couldn't appear too eager with things. That would just make her look suspicious, and she couldn't have that, not at this early juncture. Even getting along with Serena had been a little easier, due to the fact that she had come away from her experience with Gaskell with no desire to see more from him.

Feeling emboldened by the fact that Hanssen seemed to take a shine to her, she had emailed him the previous day, asking if they could have lunch together, since he knew so much about the hospital and everyone that worked there. He had tentatively agreed, since there was a scheduled surgery that he had to perform. Still, she found herself counting down the hours until she could head up to Keller and join him in their break room.

"You are a million miles away today, Leah." She looked up at Donna and shrugged a little. "Have you met someone, then?"

"No, nothing like that." She smiled a little, though, unable to keep the expression from her lips as she thought about Hanssen. "I'm just trying to make a few new friends here, and it seems like I'm making progress on that goal, since we're going to have lunch together this afternoon. Is there anything that I need to be doing at the moment?"

"No, but I might try to make rounds a priority. Serena should be getting out of surgery very soon, and it would look better if you weren't dawdling here. I know that it's an easy day, but…"

Donna's face lost a bit of color, and Leah had to hold in her giggle as she nodded. "You said the words, I didn't. So if we get busy, then it will be on your head." Donna rubbed her lips together as she nodded in response, before letting out a forlorn sigh. "Don't worry, I'll help out, even if you should bear the brunt of everything." Donna reached out and smacked her shoulder lightly, and she rubbed the spot softly, giving her a mock look of hurt as she rose to her feet and began to make her rounds.

By the time she was finishing up with that task, it was close to the time that she and Hanssen had agreed to meet, and she made her way over to Serena's office, knocking softly before opening the door and sticking her head in. "Yes, Ms Faulkner?"

"I'm going to head out to lunch now? I have an engagement with a friend, and I've just finished the midmorning rounds. Is it okay that I leave?"

Serena nodded absently, and Leah gave her a relaxed, brilliant, smile before turning on her heel and heading to the break room to grab her lunch before heading out to the stairs and climbing up the few stories to Keller. It was hard not to pull a face at Essie as she passed by the nurse, though she did notice that the disdain on the other woman's face was harder to mask. That might come in handy later, but she knew that she would still have to tread lightly around the woman.

"You're Leah, aren't you?" She looked up into the face of a smiling bear of a man, his loud floral shirt telling her that he was totally harmless, and gave him a small nod. "I'm Sacha Levy, and Henrik told me to show you to the break room. He's just closing up, and should be with you shortly."

"Thank you," she said, smiling a little when he rested his hand between her shoulder blades and guided her over to a warmly lit break room. "So, what's it like up here on Keller?"

"Not was hectic as it is on AAU. Everything is a little more methodical up here, even when we are training new doctors."

A soft giggle escaped her lips as she nodded. "Are you trying to recruit me?"

"I'm just making a case for your next rotation." The sheepish grin on his face told her that she would get along well on this ward, and that it might be a smart decision for her to come up here following her time on AAU. "We're all friendly here."

"Even Nurse de Luca? I have the feeling that she doesn't like me very much."

"Ah, she can be a bit prickly, but once she's warmed up to you, it will be like you're standing in the middle of the sun's light."

"Is Nurse de Luca giving you more problems?" Hanssen asked as he strode into the room, and Leah quickly shook her head, giving him a soft smile.

"No, Mister Levy was just giving me a pitch for working on Keller, and told me what it was like to be in her good graces. How did the surgery go?" Sacha patted her shoulder a little before he made his way from the room, and she waggled her fingers at him as he closed the door behind himself. Hanssen got his own lunch out of the refrigerator and took a seat at the table. Leah followed suit, sitting across from him as she set out her lunch, noticing that he was just as methodical about his arranging his food as he was his desk.

"The surgery went well, and the patient looks to make a full recovery. It was the best outcome possible, and I am glad for that." She nodded, watching him pick up his sandwich and take an almost dainty bite. She followed suit and they ate in a companionable silence for a few moments before he looked up at her. "How are things working for you on AAU?"

"Pretty good. I'm still learning a lot, and Serena is an excellent mentor. So, you're both surgeons, and I'm assuming so is Mister Levy, but what about Professor Gaskell? What's his speciality?"

Hanssen swallowed and looked at her intently. "He's a neurosurgeon. Back in Rigden, that's what the three of us were supposed to come out as, but I couldn't commit to that line of work. Roxanna and John, they were brilliant, like twin suns that I orbited around. Their passion was working on the brain, discovering it's tics and workings, whilst I wanted to help the most people that I could. Not everyone needs a neurosurgeon, but a good majority of people need a good surgeon."

Leah nodded as she continued to eat. "That matches up with my philosophy of medicine quite well. I went into the profession to do the most good. I feel like I've made a few mistakes along the way that have not been beneficial."

"Are mistakes ever beneficial?"

She met his eye and nodded. "When you learn a lesson from them, yes. But sometimes, even the lesson that comes from the mistake isn't worth making it in the first place. There are a few things that I would love to go back and change, if I could, but time, unfortunately, marches ever onward."

Leah was surprised to see how Hanssen nodded sagely before looking down at the table. "There is a very profound truth there, Ms Faulkner. Though it sounds like you had to go through a painful time to be able to fully comprehend that. I would never wish that sort of endeavour on another soul." He glanced up at her, and in that moment, she saw a kindred spirit in his eyes. And she knew that she would do anything to be friends with this man who reminded her so of her father.


	11. Chapter 11

Leah smiled as she adjusted her blouse. She had been called up to Hanssen's office following her shift, and while she knew that she wasn't being reprimanded, there was still a little feeling of apprehension deep in her stomach that she had been found out for who she actually was, despite it being a week since they had had lunch and Hanssen hadn't mentioned anything about her being related to Roxanna. A part of her wondered if she should tell him before he found out, because she had the feeling that he wouldn't be very happy with her deception, should he be the one to discover it.

Drawing in a short breath, she stepped off the lift and made her way down to Hanssen's office, trying to feel like she had everything under control. Knocking softly on the office door, she waited to hear his voice instead of just barging in, knowing that he thrived on routine and custom. And that just seemed to be the polar opposite of Roxanna, from everything that she had learned about her sister from the few people she had been speaking with at the hospital. "Come in, Ms Faulkner!"

His voice startled her from her thoughts, and she shook her head a little to clear the fog from her brain before opening the door and making her way over to his desk. "You wanted to see me, Mister Hanssen?" she asked as she smoothed her skirt over her thighs.

"Yes, I was thinking about your future here at Holby, and how quickly your next rotation will come. You still have about four months on AAU, but am I wrong in thinking that you might like to work up on Keller once that rotation is complete?"

It was an easy answer, and she nodded hurriedly before speaking. "Yes. As long as I get to learn from you and Mister Levy. I really think the both of you are brilliant people, and I would love to have you make me a better doctor."

Hanssen chuckled a little at the sheer enthusiasm in her voice and she blushed a little as she looked down into her lap. "I'll see what I can do about myself, but I know that Mister Levy would be most pleased to tutor you. That's one of the things he's best at, taking new doctors under his wing and helping them to find who they are as a doctor."

She nodded before glancing up at his face, seeing the warm look in his eyes, feeling her body relax at the expression, knowing that this was who he truly was, a warm, caring, soul who kept himself buttoned up out of a necessity to protect his feelings. "That was the vibe I was getting from him, yes." Her eyes darted to the desk, noticing that there was a new picture frame there, positioned so that he could look at whatever it was when he was signing documents and writing letters. Leah couldn't help but wonder what the picture was, and how she could satisfy her curiosity, though it wasn't until he cleared his throat that she realized an awkward silence had fallen over the room once more. "Sorry, I have the tendency to become hyper focused when things change in an environment," she murmured, feeling a bit of shame churn in her stomach.

"I have the same tendency, Ms Faulkner, so I understand. The picture is an addition to appease my therapist." He turned the frame, and it took everything in Leah to keep from gasping aloud when being confronted with Roxanna's smiling face. She looked so beautiful there, like she was still a living, breathing, woman, and she began to blink a little more rapidly in order to hold her tears at bay.

"I take it that that is Ms MacMillan?" Hanssen nodded. "She's beautiful."

"She was, and I never…"

His voice abruptly cut off, and Leah could only imagine how he was going to finish that sentence. "You never imagined you'd lose her?" There was a quick nod, almost imperceptible, and Leah chose not to acknowledge it, knowing that he had already been a little more open with her than he would have liked. "That is a lovely picture of her."

He cleared his throat as he replaced the picture, and Leah tried not to notice the way his thumb swiped across the glass, and tried to not burst into tears at the tender gesture. "And have you had any more run ins with Nurse de Luca?"

Grateful that he had changed the subject, she released a long breath as she shook her head. "Thankfully, I haven't seen her around, and Donna said that she usually sticks to Keller or the lab. But I think since she knows that I have the support of you and Mister Levy, that she won't be so quick to try and snap at me." She gave him a sweet smile before running her hand over her head. "I don't suppose that you'd like to take a turn around the peace garden with me? I don't want to go home quite yet, and I feel like it would be nice to have a quiet soul next to me."

She knew that she was pressing her luck with the question, but she truly didn't want to leave his presence just yet. "I still have quite a bit of work to do here, but it might be nice to take a short break. Do you really want to spend it with me? I'm sure that there is someone your age who would be a better companion."

"Perhaps, but I need a friend who has weathered the storms of life and come out calm." Their eyes met once more, and he gave her one of the saddest, kindest, smiles she had ever been on the receiving end of before nodding and pushing away from the desk and getting to his feet. Leah jumped up and slipped the strap of her messenger bag over her head as she scurried after him, knowing that his long legs could carry him so much farther than hers could. "Mister Hanssen, I do have a question. Why did you decide to study abroad for your degree? Why not stay here in England?"

"I needed a change of scenery."

The clipped tone of his words told her that she had hit a nerve that he was not ready to expose to anyone yet, and so she wouldn't be able to go down that line of inquiry to ask questions about Roxanna and her time with him in Boston. Though she could always tell him that she was her sister, and damn the consequences, but she had the feeling that might stymy any further enquiry into Roxanna's past, and could very well see her dismissed from her position at Holby, and then there would be no way that she could find out more about her sister. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit a sore spot. I seem to be particularly good at that lately."

She went to fall back a step or two, to allow him some space as they made their way down the stairs, only for him to wait for her on the next landing. "Be kind to yourself, Ms Faulkner. I know that it can be difficult at times, but the voice we use with ourselves matters." She nodded slowly, blinking back the tears prickling her eyes, knowing that there was a truth to his words that she needed to write on her heart.


	12. Chapter 12

Leah was just finishing up with her patient when she heard a commotion over by the lifts. Looking over, she saw Serena and Sacha wheeling a woman on a gurney into one of the private rooms on the ward, and she looked over at Donna, trying to figure out what was going on. The woman gave her a small shrug before getting to her feet and hurrying over to the group, jumping in and helping with the transfer. Furrowing her brow together, she made a few notations on the man's chart before moving on to the next cubicle in her rotation. This was the last person that she needed to see before she would be able to slip out for lunch, and she hoped that whatever this situation was, it wouldn't interfere with her break.

As she moved to the last patient, she caught sight of Essie and Gaskell coming in the doors, frustrated looks on their faces. She watched them disappear into the room with the strange patient, and she felt her nerves come alive as she realized that this gave her the opening that she had wanted for so long. Hurriedly, Leah finished the obs on her last patient, giving the older woman a reassuring pat on the shoulder before making her way over to the stairwell and quietly slipping down them until she was certain that there was no one around. Then she fairly flew down them until she was in the basement and making her way down to the lab.

The light was on inside, to her relief, since she knew that it would be difficult to poke around the room and keep an ear out for Gaskell. Trying the knob, just in case he left it unlocked, she tried not to let out a sigh of frustration as she hurriedly tapped in the code from the other day, praying that he hadn't changed it. After all, there was no reason to be that paranoid, she thought, since there was no one to worry about. After all, he had no idea what her true motivations were.

Taking a deep breath, she took a seat behind his computer and touched the mouse, finding herself staring at a password screen. There was no way that she could even begin to know what his password was, and knew that even if she tried to enter it, Gaskell might have a keyboard stroke logger, and would know that someone tried to look at his files. Leah decided, instead, to carefully look through the stack of files next to it, her eyes scanning quickly for any mention of her sister. Finding none in that group of files, she made certain to return them to their previous location, taking care to make certain that they were all in order. Then Leah got up and started to methodically make her way around the lab, looking at every accessible drawer and paper that she could lay her hands on, finding only a few brief mentions of how Roxanna had helped Gaskell with some of his findings.

Leah was just about to start on the next set of drawers when she heard a noise outside the lab and she gasped, knowing that she was about to be caught out if she didn't find somewhere to hide and quickly. Thankfully, the table in the centre of the lab would offer her plenty of cover, and she hurriedly dove beneath it, desperately trying not to hold her breath, since she knew that would only make her breathing all the more obvious. Pressing her palms against her chest, she closed her eyes and tried to think calm thoughts as she heard the beeping of the keypad, and then the door opening.

A feminine voice was humming an almost angry sound song, and her heart sank as she realized that Essie had now officially trapped her in the room, since she could bet that the woman would be there for a long time. Letting out the softest groan she could possibly make, Leah scooted back against the flat edge of the desk, pulling her legs up to her chest as she listened to Essie putter around the small room. A few minutes later, Leah smelled coffee brewing, and it was in that moment she realized she hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast, and a fresh wave of panic washed over her, knowing that she could be found out if her stomach even let out one grumble.

It seemed like an eternity had passed, and still Essie hadn't left, and then Leah heard the keypad beep once more. "Fuck," she breathed out as she heard another set of steps enter the room.

"Did you know that Lana was going to be arriving today?" Essie asked as Leah watched her feet come close to kicking her under the table. She tried to suck every extra square inch of her body inwards in an effort to remain hidden. The stakes were too high at this point for her to be caught.

"Yes, I just assumed that I would be the one to intercept her first, not Serena."

"She likes to stick her nose in business that's not hers. I think she presumes she's still the CEO of the hospital at times. One would have thought losing her daughter and then having her partner run off to Africa might have drilled a little humility into her."

"My dear, she's a surgeon, she's going to think that the world revolves around her no matter what happens." Essie let out a nasty little giggle, and Leah rolled her eyes, her dislike of the woman further cementing at the sound. "Now, are you almost finished with you shift? She'll need someone to go and check on her soon. You know that I still don't care for leaving her alone for long."

"I know. But you also made it so that she could live off the ventilator and the iv drip when we had to work the same shift. How was Roxanna, though, when you left her this morning? I thought that her lungs sounded a bit crackly last night."

Leah clamped her lips together so as not to react to what she had just heard. Though she knew that there had to be a number of Roxanna's in the world, her mind immediately leapt to the notion that it was her sister they were discussing. "I think that she may have developed a slight cold, but it doesn't appear to be anything too serious at the moment. As you know, I'll most likely be here until late into the night, getting Lana settled and running some tests. If I don't make it home, would you call in tomorrow to watch over her? I know that Henrik thinks that he loved her, but I was the one who saved her. I'm not about to lose her now."

"Of course, you know that I would support you in any endeavor, John. There's coffee in the office ready for you, but I should probably head up and do a last set of rounds on Keller before heading out to check on Roxanna."

Leah listened to Essie leave, tears quietly rolling down her cheeks as she fought to keep from making any noises. She didn't know how she would live with knowing this information, and not having a way to figure out what was truly going on without coming clean about everything that she knew, and who she really was.


	13. Chapter 13

Leah's body ached when she finally was able to slip out from under the lab table. Stretching, she cracked her back before ducking out of the door and looking both ways down the hall. Letting out a deep breath of relief, she scurried over to the lifts as quickly as she could, her legs feeling wobbly and tingly as she went. She knew that was a result of being in one position for an extended length of time, but she also knew that it would take a while for her body to feel normal once more.

As she rode the lift upwards, Leah tried to think up a plausible story to tell Serena once she was back on the ward. Somehow, she knew that her mentor would be very unhappy with her, but there was nothing to be done about that. Leah had had a more important issue to attend, and while she hadn't strictly gotten what she'd come for, the news she had found out instead had been enough to keep her going as she planned out what her next steps would be.

The doors slid open on her floor, and she stepped out, only to run right into Serena. The woman gave her a small glare as she took a step back from Leah and folded her arms across her chest. "I believe that we need to have a little chat, Ms Faulkner."

She nodded meekly, following after Serena into her office. Leah made certain to close the door behind her before taking a seat on a chair next to Serena's desk, struggling to keep from making eye contact with the woman, since she was clearly extremely angry. "I can explain my absence," she finally said, needing to break the unnatural silence that had developed between them. Serena arched an eyebrow at her, and Leah blushed a bit as she looked back down at the floor.

"And what sort of excuse were you planning on handing to me?"

"I fell asleep?"

Serena let out a little hrumph as she shook her head. "That excuse wouldn't fly past me. The first place I checked was in the on call room, and you weren't there. Donna told me that she thought she had seen you leave about the same time that we brought Lana onto our ward. That was understandable, since it was around your break time, but if you were going to be late, you should have told one of us, so that we could have easily covered for you, rather than spreading ourselves a little too thin for comfort in an effort to locate you."

Leah swallowed thickly as she nodded. "I went to see if Professor Gaskell was in his lab while I was on my lunch. He wasn't down there, but I noticed a few folders open on one of the tables, and started reading. He really is doing some amazing work, and I guess I lost myself in it."

"The truth always sounds better to the ear than a lie, doesn't it, Ms Faulkner?"

She nodded and took a deep breath, wondering if she should tell Serena what else she had heard. After all, if Roxanna was still alive, then there had to be a way of tracking down where she might be, and getting her the help it sounded like she needed from the conversation Leah had overheard. Still, she wasn't entirely certain if she could trust Serena, especially since the tension between them had never truly abated. "Yes. I, I also have a hypothetical situation I'd like to run past you, if I might be so bold?"

"I suppose I can indulge you for a few minutes, seeing as how we've actually hit a lull in the day."

She could hear the slight edge in Serena's voice, and steeled herself, knowing that she would have to tread lightly so as not to reveal her true motivations or arouse Serena's suspicions. "All right, say that there was a patient that you thought wasn't getting adequate care at your hospital, and you wanted to take care of her yourself. Would it be difficult to fake that person's death and move them to another place, of your own choosing, to take care of them?"

Serena laughed aloud, shaking her head as she leaned back in her chair. "Have you been watching too much American telly lately? Because that seems like a story ripped from some Law and Order show. There is no way that something like that would fly, and there would be no reason to fake someone's death for anything other than completely nefarious reasons. A doctor would never stoop to doing something so low."

"Not even for a misguided belief that they love the person they've taken?"

Serena shook her head before sitting up and looking Leah in the eyes. "No. There is absolutely no way that could happen, not in any reputable hospital." There was a slight pause, and then Serena cleared her throat before looking at a spot over Leah's shoulder. There was something about the pensive look on her face that told Leah she now had a sliver of doubt about her objections to what Leah had suggested. And though she knew that she hadn't mentioned Roxanna at all, she shivered at the thought of that being Serena's next question. Instead, the woman let out a deep breath before getting to her feet and pacing about the small office. "I am going to have to ask you to leave now, Leah. There are a few answers I need to dig up, and since they're of a sensitive nature, I need to think through them alone."

Leah nodded as she got to her feet, wondering what was going through Serena's head. She couldn't very easily ask what train of thought Serena was going to be following, but she hoped that it had nothing to do with her sister, even though a part of her did want it to be about Roxanna. She wanted to have her sister be talked about once more, and to finally find out the reasons why no one talked about her, if she was really a ghost that had visited the hospital for a short time, and then disappeared, never to be seen again.

Letting out a deep sigh, Leah left the office and headed back out onto the floor. Somehow, she knew that the only way she had escaped a more severe reprimand, and perhaps a written warning in her file, was due to the fact that she had managed to distract Serena with an absurd question that she hadn't really thought would result in the reaction she had gotten. Drifting over to the nurses' station, she picked up the tablet and scrolled through the list of patients that were still on the ward, trying to figure out who she was see and in what order.

"So, did she yell at you for very long?"

Gasping a little, Leah looked up to see that Donna was giving her a cheeky grin, and she shook her head. "Fortunately, no. And you need to announce yourself before you give a girl a heart attack!" she teased as she set the tablet aside and turned to face the beds. "Want to give me a hand with clearing some of these beds? I feel like I should be the one to lighten some of Serena's load, so that maybe she won't be quite so upset with me for my little faux pas."

"You are very right there, and yes, I will help you." Donna patted her shoulder lightly before following her into the ward, and Leah felt a little of the heaviness leave her countenance as she got down to work, pushing the thoughts of her sister and Professor Gaskell to the back of her mind as she did her job.


	14. Chapter 14

Leah found that her mind was still racing with the possibility of her sister being alive when she woke up the next morning from a dream that saw her meeting Roxanna face to face, and finding herself waking from it with tears on her face. "This is ridiculous," she muttered as she swung her legs off the bed so that she could stand and stretch. Then she went into the bathroom and washed her face clean of the traces of her tears before shrugging into her robe and making her way out to the kitchen. Since she was off that day, she knew that she didn't have to worry about taking a shower just yet, and she made herself some toast before sitting heavily at the table, staring at nothing as she ate and ruminated.

Finally she knew that she had to do something about these thoughts running through her head, and the only outlet would be the person who truly cared for Roxanna the most – Henrik Hanssen. After putting her dish in the sink to wash later with her lunch ones, she brewed herself a cup of tea and then went into the living room, plopping down onto the corner of her sofa and setting the mug on the end table before picking her phone up and scrolling through her contacts until she reached Hanssen's name and pressed it before she could second guess herself.

It took a moment for him to answer, and that made her wonder what time it was, and if she had called before it was professionally appropriate. Pulling the phone away from her ear, she was relieved to see that it was after nine, and unless he was in surgery, the call should connect in his office shortly. Finally, she heard it connect, and a little sigh of relief left her lips as she listened to the gruff sound of his voice as he answered. "Henrik Hanssen here."

"Mister Hanssen! I hope that you don't mind my forwardness in calling you so early in the morning. I just, I had some questions that I think only you can answer, since you seem to be the most forthcoming whenever I ask anything. Not that anyone is trying to keep things from me, but I trust you to be honest with me."

"I'm glad that you feel that way, Ms Faulkner. Are you on shift today?"

"No, which is why I called, since I wanted to discuss a few things with you sooner rather than later." She took a sip of her tea in order to calm her roiling stomach, feeling like she was going to lose her breakfast at any moment over her nerves. "I know, that with Lana coming to Holby, things have changed, and I overheard Nurse de Luca mention something about how it would have been better if Roxanna was still around to treat her. She was working with Professor Gaskell, yes?"

There was a short pause, and Leah wondered if she had stepped over the line with her question. But then she heard him draw in a short breath before he began to answer her. "She did, and they were making some good work before her paranoia that something was inherently wrong with the trial got the better of her. If she had lived, perhaps we could have worked through that, but unfortunately, that was not to be."

The words about her supposition fluttered at her lips, but Leah knew that he would just brush them off, considering her to be as paranoid as her sister. And in that moment, she shivered, thinking about just how sinister Gaskell had to be if he was keeping her sister locked up somewhere, away from the ones who truly loved her. Knowing what she had to ask next, Leah curled her fingers around her mug and breathed in the scent to calm her nerves. "How did Roxanna pass, again? I know you said that Meena hit her with her car, but that didn't sound like she died instantly."

"She didn't. She passed only a week before you started with us, Ms Faulkner. John did his best to save her, but his best wasn't good enough, and I was the one who lost out."

There was something so broken in his voice that Leah felt her heart lurch in her chest as she nodded. "Oh, I didn't realise that it was such a short time," she finally murmured, knowing that Hanssen would never have opened up to her quite so fully if she had been sitting in front of him. There was a safety in being separated by the miles that had allowed him to open up to her in that moment.

"Yes. It was a reason that I had to do a double take when I saw the headshot attached to your CV. You look so much like her. I promise, you were hired based on your merits, not sentimentality."

"I would never expect anything less," she quickly replied, knowing that he was trying to make her feel like she was a wanted member of the staff. "And that leads to my second question, which might be a little forward. Would it be possible to transfer to Keller earlier than planned? I just seem to be at sixes and sevens with Ms Campbell, and I feel like I need a bit of a new start. I understand if that's not feasible, but I want to continue my career at Holby General, and I know that making that change would be for the best in my career."

There was another long pause, and she tried to steel herself for rejection. "I'll need you to finish out your rota on AAU, but starting with the next one, I will see that you are on Keller. And when I have some free afternoons, I'll come down and work with you. After all, that is why you're requesting the transfer, is it not?"

Leah felt her cheeks pinken as she let her head thump back against the sofa. "Yes," she replied, knowing that he would expect complete honesty from her in all things, since he seemed to follow that same sort of path. "Well, you and Mister Levy." He chuckled a little, and she smiled as she stared up at the ceiling. "Thanks for taking my call, sir."

"My door is always open to my staff, Ms Faulkner. Enjoy the rest of your day off."

"I'll try," she replied before disconnecting the call and tossing her phone back onto the end table, listening to it ping against the lamp as she sat up and sipped from her mug once more. That had gone better than she had thought, and she was hoping that Hanssen hadn't caught on to who she truly was. Though given the way he had talked about her uncanny likeness to her sister, Leah had to think that he didn't have a clue as to her true origins. Nor did he have a clue as to who John Gaskell really was, since he was more than certain that the man had done everything in his power to save Roxanna. Since she knew that that was a lie, she knew that she would have to change his perspective on the man somehow. And she didn't have the slightest clue as to how she would go about doing that without upsetting the careful balance that she had going on at the current moment. Until she found out more on Gaskell, and could give solid proof to Hanssen, the only thing she could do would be to keep an eye on Gaskell and try to put the pieces together as best she could.


	15. Chapter 15

It felt weird to wear different coloured scrubs, Leah thought absently as she brushed an invisible piece of lint off her top. Taking a look at her reflection, she tried to smile, but found that her nerves were clawing at her stomach as she made her way out of the locker room and onto the ward. Thankfully, there was no sign of Essie just then, and she went over to the nurses' station to pick up a tablet and scroll through the current patients, trying to get a handle on what was going on that morning.

"What do you think you're doing?"

At the sound of Essie's voice, Leah blanched and felt every muscle in her back stiffen as she pivoted to look at the woman, trying not to glare at her as she took a calming breath. "Mister Hanssen transferred me here a little early, since I expressed the desire to get more in depth, hands on, surgical experience with some of the finest surgeons in the area."

"Well, we'll just see about that little lie, miss snoopy."

Leah smirked a little as she shook her head, turning her focus back on the tablet in her hands. That seemed to enrage Essie, as she tugged the tablet away from her hands and hugged it close to her chest. "I need to see what I'm expected to do," she protested, only to feel a warm hand close around her shoulder. Glancing up, she allowed herself to relax and return the gentle smile that Mister Levy was giving her. "Did Mister Hanssen inform you about the new addition to your ward?"

"He most certainly did! I am so glad to have you here," he said as he squeezed her shoulder familiarly. "I'll shadow you for the first hour or so, but I do have a surgery to prepare for after that. Dom should be around for you to shadow, though, and he's great at making people feel welcome."

As Sacha led her onto the ward, Leah couldn't help but turn back to look at Essie, seeing the glare that she was receiving. Knowing that she had to rise above the animosity, just in case Essie did warm to her, Leah gave her a small smile before turning her attention fully to Sacha. "I'm glad that there was room for me here. I know that trying to find a placement last minute can be a bit of a headache."

"Not at all! Since you were going to be here in a few weeks anyway, I was already preparing for your arrival. There aren't too many of us here, since more support is needed in the ED and AAU, so it's a little easier to become a family."

"Good. That's what I think I need. Ms Campbell and I did not mesh as well as I thought we would, honestly, and I may have overstepped a few boundaries during my time there. I just, I really need to focus on my mission, you know?"

"I do," he replied before stopping them in front of a bed. An older woman was in it, a worried look on her face, and Leah could feel her doctoring instincts take over as she watched Sacha pick up her file and read through it as Leah tried to smile reassuringly at her. "All right, Leah, this is Marge MacDonald, who is scheduled for surgery to relieve her ischemic bowel syndrome. She will be the surgery I'm preparing for, and before you ask, no, you may not sit in on this surgery yet. I'll want you to get your feet wet on something a little more simple. I hope you don't mind."

"No, I'd feel more comfortable with that, actually." He nodded and then turned his gaze to the patient, discussing her upcoming surgery as Leah took notice of how he interacted with the woman, comforting her and offering her reassurances that everything would work out all right. It was so good to see a different approach to medicine, and see how Sacha was both more relaxed than Serena, but also more focused. They worked together for the next hour or so, and she grew accustomed to the patients she would be tending to on Keller.

"So, I'll leave you to work with the post-op patients. If you have any questions, feel free to ask Essie or Dom for help. If you can't find one of them, anyone else on the staff can be of assistance, too."

She nodded and bit her lip a little as she took the tablet from his hand and began to scroll through the patients, trying to match the names there with the people she'd been introduced to. Thankfully, she knew that she would have the opportunity to get to know people a little better, though she knew that she would definitely have to work on name recall, which was one of her weak spots. Sacha patted her shoulder before he made his way over to Ms MacDonald's bedside once more, and she let out a long breath as she tried to determine what she would do next.

Just as she went to head to the nurses' station, she felt someone shoulder check her, and she frowned as she turned a little, watching Essie bustle down the hall. "So, is there something I should know about the two of you?"

Leah shook her head as she faced Dom, shrugging a little. "We've never really gotten along, and it's not for lack of trying on my part. But I suppose that not everyone has to like everyone, right?"

"Exactly. So, have you been given the grand tour yet?"

"No. I assumed that it would be a lot like AAU." He tutted at her as he shook his head. "Oh? What's so different?"

"Well, for one, we have the best break room."

"Tell me something I don't know? I've had lunch there once already, with Hanssen." Dom raised his eyebrows, and she just shrugged a little. "He's a very nice man."

"I know. He has always been a strong, silent, father type. But listen, if you think that Essie is going to be a problem, just call on me. I can act as a buffer between the two of you, especially since she seems to be at loose ends ever since returning to work. She really does mean well, even if she's a bit sharp at times."

Leah sighed as she nodded. "That would be really nice, thank you. So, what else should I know about Keller?"

Dom slung his arm through the crook of hers, leading her away from the patients and down the hall, pointing out things that she needed to know as they went along. "And the very best thing to remember is that if you ever need to escape the ward, for whatever reason, the best place to think is on the roof. We all end up there eventually."

"Really?" she asked, trying not to sound skeptical.

"Yeah. Though it works better if you're a member of the friends of Dorothy club."

"How perfect for me, then." They shared a quick smile before Dom led her over to the break room and made them tea. "Though it seems like there are a good number of us on staff."

"We are everywhere, aren't we?" Dom set a mug down in front of her as he took a seat at the table. "Now, tell me everything about yourself. This only works if we have complete trust with each other." Leah laughed as she wrapped her hands around her mug and tried to think of what information was completely safe to give him so that he wouldn't dig at the truth of her family.


	16. Chapter 16

Leah had found herself a bit overwhelmed at the end of her first day on Keller, but then Dom had taken her out to Albie's for drinks, and a bit of that apprehension had slipped away, only to be replaced by a different tension when she saw Serena and Donna enter the bar, laughing about something. Dom had teased her about the reaction, mistaking it for guilt over leaving so suddenly, and she had been glad enough to allow him to think that.

But that was all in the past, and today she would do better, and hopefully she would be able to assist on a surgery of some sort. Though there was good work to be done in helping people recover post operatively, that seemed like just more of the same that she had seen down on AAU. Glancing in the mirror, she made a few last minute adjustments to her hairdo and then went out to the kitchen, grabbing her lunch and bag before heading out the door.

On the drive to the hospital that morning, she thought more about her first day. Sacha and Dom had been so kind in making her feel welcome, even as Essie had tried to make her life a living nightmare. All it had taken was her mentioning Hanssen to Dom where the woman could overhear it, though, to get her to back off. She just really hoped that Essie was planning on spending most of the day working with Gaskell in his lab, or spending the day with her sister, wherever that was. Leah also knew that she had to ingratiate herself a little more to Dom and Sacha in order to find out more information about Essie from them. A nagging thought in the back of her mind told her that Essie would be the weakest link in Gaskell's plan. She was away from the lab for stretches of time, she had to keep her fingers in many pots, and her animosity towards Leah was also another distraction. All of those, Leah would use against her as she tried to figure out where her sister was being held.

She pulled into a parking space with a start, realizing that she had made the entire drive on autopilot. Shaking her head, Leah turned the vehicle off and made her way in the building. Yawning a little, she made a beeline for Pulses, nearly bumping into Hanssen as she fought to clear that last of her morning thoughts from her head. "Good morning, Ms Faulkner."

"Good morning, sir. It looks like it's going to be a glorious day out there."

"Yes, and I hope that it will be a glorious one for you, seeing as how you will be assisting me in theatre today."

"Really? What's the procedure?"

He chuckled a little as he stepped up to the cashier and placed his order before looking at her expectantly. Blushing a little, she stammered out her order, feeling a little uncertain about allowing him to pay for her. Still, it was a nice gesture, and as they waited for their coffee, she waited for the answer to her question. "We'll be performing a cholecystectomy. I was hoping that we could do it You're that, seeing as how he took a turn last night. It won't quite be an emergency surgery, but it will be a procedure to give you some much needed theatre time."

"Excellent." She couldn't hide the grin that slipped across her face at the thought of spending more time with Hanssen, genuinely enjoying any time spent with him. They grabbed their cups from the barista and she followed him to the lift, pressing the button for Keller. "What time will I need to be in theatre?"

"As soon as you finish that coffee and get changed into scrubs. I have a brief meeting with Professor Gaskell before the procedure."

Leah nodded as the lift doors slid open, and she stepped out onto Keller. "I'll see you shortly, then." Lifting her cup to him, she smiled before turning and making her way to the locker room, quickly stowing her bag before changing into scrubs and then taking her lunch and coffee into the break room, finding Dom there, hugging another man who Leah assumed was his partner. "Good morning!" she sang out as she stuffed her lunch into the fridge before finally taking the first sip of coffee.

"Good morning, Doctor Faulkner," the other man said quietly, and she winked at him before looking at Dom. "I'll see you at lunch time?"

"Of course," Dom replied, and Leah pouted a little to see him go. "Don't worry, Leah, we can have drinks tonight, and I will formally introduce you to Lofty. As long as the first round is on you."

"I suppose that I could arrange that," she answered, trying not to yawn. "Did you see on the board?"

"Where you get to assist Hanssen in theatre? I did. How very lucky for you."

She nodded excitedly, taking care not to spill her coffee all over herself. "This is what I've wanted, to be able to assist a great surgeon in theatre." Finishing off her drink in three quick gulps, she tossed the cup in the trash and shook out her shoulders, willing the caffeine to work quickly. "I just really want to impress him. Is that stupid?"

"No, because I was the same way. There's just something about our resident Scandiman that calls on us to be our best."

Leah smiled, so glad that someone else understood her. "That does sound about right," she murmured in reply as she made her way over to the door. Essie was hiding near the door, and she just smiled at the woman, knowing that there wasn't anything she could do to ruin her day. Squaring her shoulders, she turned to make her way to theatre, knowing that it would take her a moment to scrub up and get ready. She wasn't surprised to meet Hanssen there, and he gave her a small smile as he dipped his chin, gesturing for her to join him.

They scrubbed up in silence, and she found a little bit of her nerves ease away as she allowed herself to be lulled into a strange sense of calm, as if Hanssen's demeanor was rubbing off on her, and she welcomed that feeling, knowing that it would help her once she was in the middle of the surgery. Allowing the scrub nurse to help her into a gown and gloves, Leah took a deep breath, steadying herself before following him into the operating theatre.

As they got to work, Hanssen talked her through the procedure, allowing her to take the lead when he felt comfortable that she knew what she was doing. Together, they completed a successful surgery, and as she closed up, she looked into his eyes, and for just a moment, she thought that she saw something akin to pride there. Her face relaxed into a broad grin as she tied off the final stitch and then followed him back into the scrub room, pulling off gown and gloves and tossing them in the trash, Hanssen following suit.

"You did good work in there today, Leah. I'll make certain that Mister Levy includes you on all such surgeries in the future, and get you the training that you need from us."

"Thank you, sir." Leah couldn't help but feel like she had taken one step closer to the man, and that maybe she was one step closer to getting him to believe that she had important, credible, information about her sister, the woman he loved, and who was still alive, despite all evidence he had to the contrary.


	17. Chapter 17

Leah felt like she was finally finding a good rhythm on Keller, and managed to add eight more surgeries to her book at the end of her next week on the ward. She had expected things to continue apace, until she heard through the hospital grapevine that Jac Naylor, god dictator of Darwin, had demanded that Gaskell remove whatever it was that he had put inside her. There had been some scuttlebutt about what that signified, since she had been so keen to have him insert his patch into her back all those months ago.

Still, she could feel that there was some level of negative energy in the air that morning, when Dom rushed up to her side and gave her a wide eyed look, as if he was uncertain of what would happen next. "Things are going to hell, and I am so glad to see you!" he exclaimed as he practically dragged her over to Lofty's side, his breaths unsteady as he stared at his partner. "Tell her!"

Lofty gave them a small smile as he drew in a shallow breath. "Gaskell's done a runner, and Jac is struggling for her life. They called for Guy Self to come in and do the operation, since it's clear that she isn't going to survive for very much longer if he doesn't come soon."

She swallowed a gasp, her mind immediately going to Roxanna. "What, what about Lana?" she managed to spit out, knowing that she couldn't tip her hand so soon, that until she had more information, she couldn't reveal the exact reason as to why she had come to Holby. Especially since Lofty hadn't mentioned a thing about Essie.

"She's currently missing, too."

Leah looked up to see Sacha standing there, a tense look on his face. That didn't suit him, at all, and she felt herself choke up a little as she nodded. This wasn't the time or place to start crying, even if she felt like she wanted to hug the hurt out of the man. "What are we going to do, then?" she murmured, hoping that he would have the answer for her.

"A few different things. Dom, I'm going to need you and Lofty to hold down things here. Cancel all elective surgeries, focus on emergencies only. Leah, I'm going to need you to work with Guy Self when he gets here. He's going to need a steady pair of hands to help him out with Jac's surgery, and given the work that you've been doing down here, I have faith that you can be a good assistant."

"But…"

"Dom, I need you here if there are emergencies. Leah is not ready yet to handle emergency surgeries that might pop up here. She would be on her own, and I do not want her to feel like so much responsibility is on her shoulders. You need to step up and lead, all right?"

Dom nodded, and Leah gave him a small smile, knowing that he must feel so disappointed in having to babysit the ward whilst she got to help with a more flashy operation. "I suppose that you have a good point there," he finally said before giving Leah a look. "Mister Self is a bit arrogant, just so you know, Leah. Try not to let his ego upset you."

"I'll keep that in mind, Dom," she replied as she smiled at him. He nodded before leading Lofty over to the nurses' station, and she turned her full attention on to Sacha. "So, what will I be expected to do in theatre?"

"I'm not entirely certain, all I know is that you'll be saving my best friend's life." Tears welled up in his eyes, and she felt her heart break in that moment for him. Not caring how it looked, she stepped into his personal space and hugged him tightly, sighing a little when she felt his arms close around her, holding her tightly as he struggled to keep from crying. "I need to go see Henrik and Ric. We're trying to find Gaskell, to see if he knows what's going on. Please, take care of her."

"I promise I will, Sacha." He released her and gave her a small smile. "I'm headed up to Darwin, then?" Sacha nodded and she straightened her shoulders, trying to look more confident than she was. Patting his shoulder softly, she left his side and went over to the lift. It didn't take long for her to get to Darwin, and she ran into Fletch as she stepped out of the lift.

"Thank God you're here. Mister Self is waiting for you in theatre, and I need to join Sacha and Hanssen. Good luck." Leah nodded, seeing that he was much more worried than he was letting on as they switched places. Another of the nurses guided her to the operating room on Darwin, and she hurriedly scrubbed in before joining the team in theatre.

There was a curious tension in the air as she made her way over to who she assumed was Guy Self. He looked up and gave her a tight nod before focusing back on his surgery. "What experience do you have?"

"Working with _M__é__decins Sans Fronti__è__res_, and four weeks on Keller. Just tell me what you need, and I'll do whatever you need me to." He grunted a little in acknowledgement, and she tried not to take it personally, knowing that they were in the middle of a time crunch, and that Jac Naylor's life hung in the balance. They fell into a good rhythm, and she did everything he told her to. Leah didn't fail to catch the short look of appreciation he gave her when she stopped a bleed that he didn't have enough hands to reach, and the warm glow of acceptance spread across her body as they continued working.

They finally reached the completion of the surgery, and Self allowed her to close up while he watched the monitors closely, as if to will Jac to be all right. As Leah clipped off the final stitch, it appeared that her vitals were starting to stabilize, and she let out a breath of relief as she stepped away from the table. Glancing up, she saw Fletch staring into the room, tears rolling down his face, and she gave him a small nod before she tore off her gloves and gown and joined him. "What is happening?" she asked, needing to know if they had found Gaskell.

"Nothing good. Lana is dead, Mister Hanssen is in the ED, and no one can find Gaskell or Essie. It's like they've just vanished into thin air, and there are a lot of people who want to talk with Gaskell. No one knows if Essie was taken, or if she went of her own volition…"

"She went with him," Leah interrupted, and Fletch tilted his head as he looked at her intently. "I, I need to talk to Sacha, at once. There's something that I haven't told anyone else, but I think the time has finally come to reveal the secret." She swallowed a few times, feeling like she was about to throw up at the notion of revealing herself to the people she had come to admire.


	18. Chapter 18

It felt like it took forever to reach Sacha and Hanssen in the ED. Fletch never left her side, which was a good thing, since she felt like she was going to pass out at any moment. She knew that it was a mix of nerves and relief at Jac's surgery having gone well, though she didn't mind when Fletch slipped his arm around her waist, steadying her as the lift came to a stop. "Are you going to be all right?" he asked as they stepped out into the chaos of the ED.

"I hope so," she murmured as he led her over to an office, knocking on the door a few times before entering. There was a rather severe looking woman behind the desk, and Leah swallowed again, wondering who she was. And then, she looked up from the computer, giving her a hard look before turning her attention to Fletch.

"I take it that you're here to see Hanssen?"

If Leah hadn't been so preoccupied with getting her thoughts in order to tell her truth to Sacha and Henrik, she would have been a little more taken with the cultured sound of the woman's voice. Still, she felt a short stab of desire course through her, and she let out a long breath before nodding. Fletch was the one to speak up, however. "That was the plan. Has he been moved to a private room?"

"As private as you can get in the ED. I'll have David show you the way." The woman rose to her feet, and Leah straightened her spine, unconsciously trying to give off a good impression as she brushed past them, heading outside. They followed after her, and Leah tried to keep her eyes in an appropriate spot, but the sway in the woman's hips just drew her gaze. She was in a bit of a daze as the woman made introductions to David, but as she brushed past her, Leah choked on her breath when she stopped and leaned in. "Do not do anything to upset Henrik. I don't know who you are, but you wear a familiar face, and he does not need to be upset at the current moment. I have no idea when that drug will be through his system."

"I'm her sister," she replied just as quietly, watching the woman give her an appraising look before losing a bit of the defensiveness that surrounded her. "All I've done has been to find out what happened to Roxanna, but it seems like I stepped into something deeper than I realized. It was never my intention to hurt anyone."

"Understood."

"Mrs B? Duffy said that they need you. There's a trauma coming in." She nodded sharply before giving Leah another assessing look, then turning on her heel and striding back the way they came. Leah turned her focus to David, and saw that he was smiling at her kindly. "All right, if you'll follow after me, I'll bring you to Mister Hanssen." Leah trailed after the men, trying to figure out what she was going to say, now that the moment of revelation was at hand. The admonishment from the lady in authority down here just made her heart thump all the faster in her chest as she wondered about all the ways she could potentially make Hanssen worse. And if that happened, this whole thing would be for naught, since he was the only one who could solve this current quagmire they were in.

Sighing, Leah stepped into a small cubicle, finding Sacha and Hanssen talking quietly. He appeared to be all right, but as she ran her eyes up and down his body, she noticed that his hands were bandaged, and she frowned, knowing that his hands were his life, just as hers were. Trying to swallow the gasp that quickly came to her lips, Leah stepped closer to the bed, taking a seat next to Sacha. Hanssen slid his eyes over to her, and she could see the hurt there, deeper than just his physical wounds. "What news have you?"

Reaching out, she took hold of his hand, knowing that the time for propriety was at an end, and if she still had a job after she told them all the truth, it would be sheer luck. "Jac came through her surgery quite well, and when I left her, her vitals had started to rebound. Guy Self seems quite certain that she will make a full recovery, given time. And, I…"

Her words seemed to die in her throat, and she swallowed, trying to get rid of the rock that seemed to be sitting there. Sacha reached out and rubbed her shoulder softly, in an attempt to calm her, and she bit her lip before glancing at him. "What is it, Leah?"

"I know that you're going to think I'm mad, and that what I'm telling you is a lie, but I promise you, it is the truth. I wouldn't lie about something this large. Even though I've been obfuscating a lot of my background because I needed to find out some things before I could reveal everything. Mister Hanssen, there is a reason why I seem familiar to you, about why you're reminded of Roxanna every time you look at me. I think you knew, deep in your heart, that there was more to me than I said, and you're right. Roxanna is my half-sister, though she never knew I existed, and I only found out about her existence after she had already left this hospital."

Sacha and Fletch gasped at the reveal, but Hanssen just slowly tightened his grip on her hand, giving her a probing look. "I knew that you seemed more familiar than was possible. But I don't think that that is the only news that you have to tell us. Is it?"

She shook her head, feeling tears spill down onto her cheeks as she squeezed his hand a few times, knowing that this would be a more difficult revelation. "My sister is not dead."

"How dare you!" Fletch interjected, glaring at her, and she shrank into Sacha, giving the other man a fearful look. "You can't lie about something of that magnitude! We did everything we could to save her life, and Essie even had an autopsy done to prove that!"

"Essie was lying to you. She's been working with Professor Gaskell to pull off something that I couldn't get to the bottom of. They're keeping Roxanna somewhere, and that's probably where they disappeared off to, seeing as how this trial has now gone down in a giant ball of flames! My sister is out there, trapped, alone, and having to deal with those two people who do not have her best interests at heart. And if one of you doesn't help me find here, I will tear down every piece of this hospital until I find the information I need to bring Gaskell and Essie to justice!"

Hanssen let go of her hand to move it to her shoulder, causing her to look at him through tear-clouded eyes. "Ms Faulkner, Leah, I know that you are worked up right now, but we both know each other well enough that you won't take offence to this question. How do you know that Roxanna is alive?"

She cleared her throat and focused her attention back on him. "When they brought Lana here, I used that as an opportunity to try and find out more about Gaskell and his trial, knowing that Roxanna had worked on that before her supposed death. I didn't quite find what I wanted, but I was interrupted by Essie and Gaskell coming into the lab, so I had to hide. I didn't want to get caught. And whilst I was beneath the table in the lab, I heard them talking about taking care of Roxanna, and how he didn't want Essie to leave her alone for very long. They thought they were alone, which means that they could be honest and open in that moment. I was biding my time, waiting for one of them to make a mistake, so I could find her. And now it seems that that opportunity has fled from my grasp, and I'll never find her."

Leah could no longer control her tears, and she began to sob as she bent over Hanssen's body, welcoming his hand stroking her head as she struggled to gain some semblance of propriety back. "Now there's hope, and that will always get us farther than we think it will. Together, I know that we will find her, and everything will work out like it should." She nodded as she let her head come to rest on his knee, trying to believe that his optimism was warranted, and that they would be reunited before too much time passed.


	19. Chapter 19

Leah didn't know how much time passed, though she could vaguely hear people coming in and out of the room where Hanssen was recuperating. The only good thing to come out of her rest was the fact that she finally got the severe woman's name – Connie Beauchamp. It was a fitting name for the woman, and Leah tucked it away in the back of her brain, just in case she needed to address her ever again. Finally, though, she heard Serena's familiar voice, and she sat up with a start, glad that Hanssen was a buffer between them, as she still wasn't over her awkwardness around the older woman.

"I was told that you wished to talk with me, Henrik?" she asked, giving Leah a dark look.

"Yes, and it involves Ms Faulkner. As I'm certain you know by now, Essie and John are missing from the hospital. Ms Faulkner has a good idea as to the why of that, but we are still unclear as to the where. I have been speaking with Connie, and she feels that I am able to get out of bed in the next hour, and then Sacha and I are taking Le…Ms Faulkner with us as we go look for them."

"Oh?" she responded, arching an eyebrow as she looked at Leah. "And why does that include me?"

"Because I need you to stay the course here, making certain that everything is running smoothly without a good number of staff."

Serena sighed as she looked away from Leah to focus on Hanssen once more. "And where do you think you're going? On a snipe hunt?"

Hanssen cleared his throat as he glanced at Leah, giving her a fleeting smile. "No, Serena. We're going to find John and Essie, and bring back Leah's sister." Serena let out a scoffing sound, and Leah winced, knowing that she was less than sympathetic due to the way Leah had treated her earlier. It made sense, but it still hurt. He seemed to read that reaction on her face as he patted her hand lightly, trying to offer her some comfort.

Sacha bustled in at that moment, and some of the tension drained from the room as he smiled at her and Hanssen. "I didn't think that I wanted to leave Jac's side, since Emma is so scared for her mummy. Thankfully, Fletch has decided to step up and take care of them for me, which might be even better, since he cares for Jac so. Have you given any thought as to where John could be keeping Roxanna?"

There was a pause in the room, and Leah watched as Serena started to put everything together as she stared at Leah with rapidly widening eyes. "You're related to Roxanna MacMillan?" she asked, shock dripping from her voice.

"Yes, and that's why I originally came here. I wanted to know more about her, since we never met, given that she had no idea about my existence. But we're so close to getting her back, that I need to get out of here and come up with a plan."

"She's dead."

Hanssen shook his head. "Actually, we have good reason to believe that John and Essie have been conning us for a very long time. And now that I think about it, I should have been questioning things when John arranged the funeral and Essie informed me of the coroner's report, since he is a friend of hers. There were so many little clues that I didn't pick up on because I was too focused on myself and my hurts to think outside myself. So, Serena, are you going to handle what's going on here? I know that Connie would gladly help you out down in the ED, but the rest of the hospital is yours. I don't know how long we'll be gone, because we're still looking for a starting point, but I need people in place to make certain the media doesn't become a circus around here. After Fredrik, this scandal might be our undoing."

"And the hospital must survive. I know. And yes, I'll look after this for you. Do you mind if I call in some help?"

"If Ms Wolfe will come, then, no. We need as many strong leaders here as possible." She nodded sharply, giving Leah another searching look as she got to her feet and left the room. Sacha took her seat and looked at them with a hopeful grin on his lips.

"Yes, Sacha? I know that you have something for us, based on that expression."

"I do. Or at least, I think I have a starting point. When Essie and I were dating, she brought me to her grandfather's flat in Cornwall. It's a secluded property, since the person who shares the other half of the flat uses it strictly as a holiday home, which makes it perfect for keeping someone in place and not having anyone question odd comings and goings."

"Does she still own this property? I know that she was the heir of his estate, as well as Raf's, which means that we could also, possibly, be looking at a location in Scotland."

"I don't know, honestly. I was just making the assumption that they were at this property, since Leah mentioned that John had a concern about being away from Roxanna for any length of time. Whilst they could very easily be in Scotland, that is not a place to get to quickly. With Cornwall, it's a few hours drive."

"True, you do have a very good point there, something that I didn't consider when I thought about the connection to Raf. You're right, we should start with the places closest to Holby, though not their places here. That would be too obvious, and would arouse suspicions." They all shared a similar look, and then Leah was taking a deep breath, about to ask what their next move was, when Connie joined them.

"I see that you're doing a lot better, Henrik," she said pertly, giving Leah a tiny smirk before checking on Hanssen's vitals. "I don't want to release you just yet, but I know that you're chomping at the bit to get out there and find your lady love. Sacha, you and Leah are going to have to keep an eye on him, and make certain that he doesn't overextend himself whilst you embark on this little wild goose chase. And Henrik, you're to call me if at any time you feel unsteady or woozy, all right?"

"Yes, Connie," he replied quickly, giving her a long-suffering look. "Am I free to go, then?"

"As much as I want to say no, I cannot. You are free to go."

Nodding, Hanssen swung his legs over the side of the bed and got to his feet before holding his hand out to Leah. She got up and slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow, allowing him to lead her out after Connie, Sacha bringing up the rear. They parted ways at the end of the hall, with Connie disappearing into her office as they made their way over to the lifts. "You'll probably want to change out of your scrubs, Leah, Mister Levy and I will wait for you in his office."

"Thank you," she said softly as they stepped into the lift. As the lift rose up, she wracked her brain to try and think of what she would say to Roxanna, how she would explain who she was to her, and start a relationship with someone she was related to, but didn't know of that connection. Now that this moment was so close at hand, she found herself staring into a yawning abyss, with no clue as to what step to take next.


	20. Chapter 20

Sacha had quickly claimed the right to drive, since he was the only one who had been to Essie's grandfather's flat before. That suited Leah just fine, since it allowed her to curl up in the back seat of the vehicle, scrolling through social media and trying to act like she was completely unbothered by the way things were going. Hanssen seemed to know that she was putting up a façade, since he kept trying to engage her in conversation during the drive.

She gave lackluster answers, at best, but still, he pushed forward, finding little ways into her psyche as he asked questions that would help him build a better picture of her. She knew that the answers she was giving would let him know things about her that she hadn't really told anyone before, but she trusted him and Sacha to not tell her secrets out of turn. Finally, though, Sacha turned down a narrow road close to the sea, and she sat up, slipping her phone in her pocket as she leaned forward between the sheets to stare at the scenery. Leah tried to enjoy the beauty of what she was passing, but her stomach was too tied up in knots to truly take it all in.

"Try not to let the current strife colour your perceptions of this place, Ms Faulkner."

"You know that you can call me Leah, Mister Hanssen. We've been through enough now that using my first name would be completely all right with me."

"Then call me Henrik while we're out here. In the hospital, that will be a different story."

"Okay, Henrik." His name sounded funny to her ear, as if she was breaking some sort of taboo, but she took a deep breath as she snaked a hand forward to wrap around his upper arm, somehow needing to be in contact with him as they came closer and closer to where her sister was being held. She knew that it was a certain thing, of course, but she hoped beyond hope that this first place would be the right place. "What will be the first thing you tell my sister when we find her?"

"That I love her." His words came quick to his lips, and she smiled as she nodded at the thoroughly romantic statement. She hadn't thought that he would be that way, given his typical, stoic, nature, but she supposed that everyone had someone who changed their demeanor with love. "I should have told her before everything went to hell with John, but she was still grieving the loss of her husband, and I didn't want to impose. But if this hadn't happened, I most likely would have pined for her forever. Is there anyone that you love like that?"

She let out a surprised laugh as she shook her head. "No. I keep hoping that I'll find someone meant for me, like you have with my sister, but that hasn't happened yet. If there's one lesson I've taken to heart from me mother, it's that I should never get desperate and settle. I didn't poke too hard, not wanting to find out what she meant by that."

He nodded and patted her hand lightly. "That is sage advice, Leah. I would listen to your mother, because she's right. I settled, because I thought that Roxanna didn't want me, but I was wrong, and it's taken us a lifetime to get back to this place."

"But you get a second chance, which is wonderful."

Henrik made a soft sound of agreement in the back of his throat as Sacha slowed down on the road. Once more, Leah's throat was in her heart, and she tightened her grip on Henrik's arm almost painfully tight as she followed their gazes out the window towards a small house. "There are two flats there?" Henrik asked, and Sacha nodded.

"Yes, but Essie's car is parked in front of the one that was her grandfather's. There is no way that we can do any reconnaissance this evening."

"Then I guess that means we'll have to find a hotel for the evening and start everything tomorrow."

Leah's heart fell at those words, even though she knew Henrik was correct. "After we find a hotel room, I can take us to the local Primark. I don't know about you all, but I'm going to want fresh clothing in the morning."

Leah let out a nervous laugh as she nodded. "That would probably be for the best, yes."

Sacha gave her a small grin as he sped past the flat, and she hoped that neither Gaskell or Essie took notice of them. After all, Essie would probably know what Sacha's car looked like, since that had been a point of discussion on the drive there. It didn't take long for them to get into town, and she let out a deep sigh as he parked in the lot of the first inn that had a vacancy sign. This wasn't how she had planned to spend the night, but knowing that they were correct, that Essie and Gaskell were holed up in the place nearest them.

They all trooped in, and Henrik went up to the desk and asked for two rooms. The clerk nodded and checked them in quickly. Henrik handed Leah one set of keys before shaking his head a little, as if he knew that she wanted to pay for her own room. "This is my quest, Leah, and it's a small price to pay. They're still serving supper in the dining room, so I think that we should take a moment to eat and prepare for tomorrow. Since we know that we're in the correct place, we need to make certain that we don't make a mess of things by rushing in there and getting any of us hurt in the process."

"You have a good point, Henrik," Sacha said as he casually slung his arm around her shoulders as they made their way to the dining room. It was comfortable to her, and she tried not to relax too much into him as they were shown to a table. "I'll pick up the tab tonight, then."

Leah frowned a little as she gazed at the menu, trying to find something that sounded good and was cheap, since she didn't want to be too much of a burden on them. After they ordered, Leah folded her hands on the table and looked between the two men. "I think that I'm going to get a wig, reading glasses, and some dark makeup while we're out. If I look completely different, there will be less of a chance that we're found out right away. You two are too recognizable, even if you were to change your clothing style. And I'm small enough where I might be able to shimmy through a window at the flat and let you both in, if they're gone."

Henrik took a sip of water, assessing her closely. "I don't want you putting yourself in danger. Now that we know the extent of John's perfidy, we have to tread with caution, and make certain that Roxanna is all right. Once we've assessed her condition, we can then call the police and set everything else into motion. The last thing that I want is for any of us to get hurt by John or Essie." Reaching out, he placed his hand on her shoulder, as if to make it fully known to her that he was serious about protecting them all. "We will achieve our goal, but we will do it in the safest way possible. All right?"

"All right. We'll stay as protected as possible, but I want things to move quickly as well. I've been waiting all my life to meet my sister, and I'm finding myself growing a bit impatient." He nodded and smiled at her, and she hoped that everything would turn out right in the end.


	21. Chapter 21

The next morning, Leah woke up to her alarm on her phone, and she picked it up, tapping to turn it off before slipping from the bed and padding over to the bathroom, tugging off the oversized shirt she had bought the previous evening and letting it fall to the floor before stepping into the shower and quickly washing her body. As she dried off, Leah picked out her clothes for the day, knowing that she had to choose something that would blend in and not draw attention to herself. Then, she washed her face before applying her new makeup. It was in such a stark contrast with her usual look, and she had to wonder if anyone would recognize her, since she certainly didn't.

With her face done, she pulled on her clothes and then wrestled the wig cap onto her head before slipping on her wig and then styling it in the mirror. Having brown hair was such a change for her, and she ran her fingers through the shoulder length tresses, smiling wobblily at her reflection before she picked up her phone and made her way down the hall to Henrik and Sacha's room.

Knocking three times, she waited to be let in, feeling decidedly exposed. Henrik hurriedly opened the door, and she scurried in, listening to Henrik lock the door once more. "Good morning. I thought that we had best be ready early, just in case."

"That was our plan, too." He gave her an almost pained smile, and she shrugged. "You aren't comfortable, are you?"

"That obvious, huh? This whole look has me weirded out. I look so different from who I truly am, and I really want this to be over with quickly."

He nodded as he indicated for her to take a seat on the chair at the desk before he took a seat on a neatly made bed. Something told Leah that that was his bed, and she hid her smile behind her hand, covering it up with a small yawn before taking a deep breath, trying to be more comfortable in her persona. "You'll have backup, Leah, we wouldn't just abandon you in there, and as soon as we confirm that Roxanna is indeed alive and in there, we'll phone the police and have them take care of the fine details. Try not to worry."

"That is easier said that done, Henrik. What if she wants nothing to do with me? I mean, I am an interloper here, and she could just not believe me. I wouldn't blame her. It is a fantastical tale to the outside observer."

"Then you will just have to make her believe it as truth. I'm certain that you have evidence, beyond the fact that you look like you could be her twin." She nodded and gave him a small smile before pursing her lips together and taking a few calming breaths.

"All right, I brought breakfast for us all," Sacha said as he bustled into the room, arms full of bags and coffee cups. "I thought that we could eat on the way back to the flat, that way we can save time. Essie is scheduled to work an early shift today, but I'm not certain what John's schedule is."

Henrik shook his head as he got to his feet, indicating for Leah to follow him. She jumped to her feet and scurried along after the men, knowing that the time was coming for her to finally come face to face with her sister. She took the bag out of Sacha's hand before climbing into the back of his car and settling back as they got under way. Leah knew that she had to eat something, but her stomach was roiling so badly that it was difficult to take more than a few bites.

That nervous part of her went into overdrive when she saw that both vehicles were now gone from the flat, and she dropped the rest of the breakfast sandwich back into the bag and brushed her hands off on her skirt as Sacha turned the vehicle off. They sat there for a few moments, and she cleared her throat to get their attention. "So, what's the plan now?"

"Finding a way in there. If I remember correctly…" Sacha began, but all Leah could focus on was the first part of that sentence – finding a way in there. She hurriedly looked at the building, trying to find a point of entrance. When her eyes alighted on a window that was slightly open, she knew that that would be her way in, and she slipped from the car before either man could do something to stop her. Leah tried to keep her movements as natural as possible, uncertain if the person in the other flat was home or not, but she finally reached the window and put her hands beneath it, lifting it upwards.

It slid open with a slight groan, and she looked around to see if anyone had noticed the sound before she vaulted herself up and into the home, finding herself falling to the floor with a small thud. Getting to her feet, she rubbed her bum before looking around the small bedroom that looked well lived in, and from the perfume she smelled in the air, she assumed it to be Essie's room. Curiosity getting the better of her, Leah decided to look through her stuff, hoping to get a feel of who the woman was when she was around her sister. There wasn't really anything that told her something new about Essie, though she did raise an eyebrow at her taste in romance novels. The blurbs on the back of a few of them were enough to make her blush, and Leah did not consider herself a prude.

Finally, she felt ready to start exploring the premise and getting down to the business of finding Roxanna. Creeping over to the door, she peeped her head out it, listening for any noises that might tell her that Gaskell or Essie had returned. Hearing nothing, she tiptoed out of the room and began to head down the hall to the next room. Carefully opening the door, she found that it was a bathroom, and she quickly backed out of it, closing the door before heading over to the stairs and creeping up them slowly, hoping that none of the steps were creaky.

Finally, she reached the top, and Leah took a few deep breaths, trying to calm the pounding of her heart in her chest. They were so close to finding her sister, she couldn't afford to let her feelings get the better of her. Clearing her throat as quietly as she could, Leah started forward once more, deciding to start with the right-hand doors. There were a total of six rooms to look through, and she only hoped that she wouldn't have to go through all six before she could call Henrik and Sacha to her side. Shaking the tension out of her shoulders, she focused on the first door that she was going to search behind and strode over to it, ready to see what was behind it. And just as her hand closed around the knob, a large hand clapped onto her upper arm, and she stifled the urge to scream as she froze in place, uncertain of what to do next.


	22. Chapter 22

Knowing that she had to face whoever it was behind her, Leah turned, ready to punch whoever it was that was there. "Fucking hell, Henrik," she breathed out as she smacked him hard on the shoulder as she glared at him. "You could have given me a heart attack! And how did you get in here in the first place?"

"Sacha found the spare key where Essie always hid it. I tried to get your attention, but you were so focused on getting in here that you must not have heard us. I did not mean to frighten you, Leah."

She shook her head as she stared into his eyes. "I'm just a little jumpy, because there is something seriously creepy about this place, and it's making me a little jumpier than normal. I don't believe that Roxanna is downstairs, she has to be up here, somewhere."

"That was my thought as well. It's easy enough to keep people relegated to the ground floor of a home, after all. So, would you like me to check the rooms out with you, or should I do the rooms on the other side of the stairs?"

"I think I would prefer it if you stayed with me? Just in case Gaskell or Essie return and we have to move quickly." He nodded before patting her shoulder lightly. "I am so glad that you and Sacha are here with me. I always assumed that I would be alone at this point in the search for my sister. To know that I've made relationships with nice people like you two, it just means so much to me." A quick smile travelled across his lips as he nodded and she lowered her shoulders as she turned the door knob and let herself into what could only be described as a sterile hospital room.

Roxanna was laying on the bed, hooked up to a bunch of monitors and machines, and Leah felt her heart shatter at the sight. Tears started to roll down her cheeks as she started to move towards her bedside, and Leah sank down onto her haunches as she picked up Roxanna's hand and sobbed. Through the haze of her tears, she heard Henrik call out for Sacha before he came up to her side and rested his hand on her head. "She looks the same as from the last time I saw her," he whispered, and Leah looked up into his face, seeing that he was crying as well. Nodding a little, she tugged off the wig and cap, worrying them in her free hand as she turned her attention back to Roxanna. "I have no idea if she can hear us or not. You take stock of what she's hooked up to and make a list of anything that you think is pertinent."

She nodded, relieved to have him take control, since it was so easy to follow his directions. Getting to her feet, she squeezed Roxanna's hand and then let go of it to pull out her phone and began to take pictures and notes of everything in the room that surrounded Roxanna. It was when she got to taking a good look at her face that she noticed something odd. "Henrik? I think she's crying. I'm not familiar enough with whatever happened to her to know if this is normal or not."

He came over to her side and looked down at Roxanna, a small gasp tearing from his mouth as he shook his head. "This is not normal at all. Roxanna, can you hear us?" As they watched, her eyelids fluttered, as if she was trying to open them, and Leah reached back for Henrik's hand, needing someone to steady her in that moment. He gripped her hand firmly as they both held their breaths until finally, her eyes snapped open and she looked around to focus on their voices. Instinctively, Leah leaned over so that she was in her sister's line of vision, and she watched her try to frown, only to become frustrated by her facial muscles not reacting.

"Blink once if you understand us," she murmured. The answer was a quick blink, and she felt her heart clench in her chest as she looked up at Henrik. "All right, this is good. This means that we can talk to you. Give me five minutes to download a letter board so that we can start communicating with each other." She quickly tapped on her screen, finding what she was looking for. "Henrik, please tell me that you have a pen and paper, or something like that."

"Of course, Leah." She listened to the rustle of his jacket behind her, and let out a soft sound of pleasure that he, at least, had been prepared for this, unlike her. As soon as she had the letter board maximized on her screen, she did the first thing she had been taught not to do in med school, and that was taking a seat on the edge of the bed so that she could easily show Roxanna the letter board and be able to convey the letters to Henrik.

It was excruciatingly slow to converse like this, and Leah found herself getting upset at the inelegant way to talk to her sister. But still, she was talking to her sister, and it felt good, too. "Where am I?" was the first complete sentence they managed to get out of her, and Leah choked up, allowing Henrik to answer.

"You're in Essie's home near the sea. John and she have been keeping you here since your accident. And before you try to ask more questions, we have a few things to explain to you, hopefully to answer those questions before they're asked. This is Leah Faulkner, and she is your half-sister. I don't know all the details, but I know that she'll be able to give them to you once we get you back to Holby, and can treat you. I will contact Guy Self as soon as we're there, as I trust him to work through and fix whatever neurological issues that John has left you with. But you really must be grateful for Leah, darling. She was the one who dug and pressed and searched for anything she could find about you. And through her efforts, she discovered that you were alive."

Tears were practically streaming down the sides of Roxanna's face, and Leah set her phone down so that she could wipe them away, feeling intimately connected to her sister and Henrik in that moment, as if this experience had bonded them together in some inexplicable way. "I just wish that I had found out about you sooner. It was only when I was cleaning out Mum's flat that I found her diary and read about my father's other family. That I, who had been alone for all my life, had a sister out there, and that there was a chance that I wouldn't be alone any longer. I'm sorry I failed you."

To her intense shame, she burst into tears, closing her eyes as she struggled to get control of her emotions once more. Henrik tapped her shoulder, and Leah looked up at him, seeing that he was crying as well, which only served to make her cry harder, and she fairly launched herself into his arms as she buried her face in his chest, letting out all the repressed emotions from the past few months, knowing that at last, she had found somewhere to be safe.


	23. Chapter 23

Once Leah managed to stop crying, she and Henrik had worked with Roxanna once more, finally ascertaining that John had left a clip in her brain that was causing her to be artificially locked in. Roxanna was aware of everything that had been going on around her, and Leah shuddered to think of that, knowing that there was nothing Roxanna could have done to change her situation. Eventually, Sacha did join them, and he squeezed Roxanna's hand warmly before sitting in the chair in the corner and listening to what they were piecing together.

"I think that we should probably get things in motion. We have no idea when Essie or John will be back. And since we're not at the hospital, it might look a little suspicious to them, even if Serena covers for us," Sacha said, looking between the three of them.

"That's probably a good idea," Henrik said. "You call the police, I'll dial Jan to see if she can bring a bus out here to take us back to Holby. I don't trust Roxanna's care with anyone else but us, even with the scandals our hospital has been involved in lately. Leah…"

"I'll just sit here, babbling at my sister," she replied off-handedly, and Henrik gave her an understanding smile as he moved to an opposite corner of the room as he pulled out his mobile and began to call this Jan. It was difficult, to listen to two different voices, as it was in a much more enclosed space than the wards, and she frowned a little as she tightened her grip on Roxanna's hand. "It's a little difficult to focus at the moment, but I'm going to try and push through. I suppose that I've made a horrible first impression, I wanted things to go a lot more smoothly than this. When you're better, I really want to spend as much time with you as you're willing to give, because I'm sentimental. And stupid. Really, really, stupid."

For just a moment, Leah thought that Roxanna was squeezing her hand back, and she looked into her sister's eyes, seeing that she was crying a little, the air around her seeming to say that she disagreed, and was sad that Leah thought of herself that way. Picking up her phone, she pointed to the letter board, and Roxanna blinked once before they worked to spell out another few words. _Not stupid. Belief in love is never stupid._

"Thanks. But you don't know what I've done. I kissed someone I shouldn't have, knowing they had a partner, because I wanted to cosy up to someone who had worked with you. She reacted in exactly the way that you would expect, and I had to change wards. Though that turned out to be a good thing, as I made friends with these two. I haven't had close male friends in a long time, and it feels really nice to make these connections."

Leah paused and took a deep breath, glancing away from Roxanna in an attempt to get control of her emotions. A part of her wished that Roxanna could react to her, that she could hug her, and she let out a deep sigh as she carefully lowered her head onto Roxanna's torso, listening to the men continue to talk on the phone. Sacha was finished first, and he came over to the bed, sitting across from them in the chair that was close to the machinery that Roxanna was hooked up to. "The police will be here in about twenty minutes. That's one of the downsides to having a place this far out of the way."

"But at least they're coming. Oh god, Sacha, what if we hadn't found her in time?" Leah asked as she sat up and looked into his eyes. "If I hadn't pushed and dug and sought my sister out, what would John have done?"

She pressed her hand to her lips, feeling physically ill at the thought of Roxanna kept in her current state for the rest of her natural life. Sacha got up from his chair and hurriedly bundled her into a tight hug. Turning into him, Leah allowed herself to cry a little as she listened to him reassure her that she had always been fated to find her sister, that God had had everything written in the stars, and that it had all led to this moment. "It might seem like it took a long time, getting from there to here, but everything happens in the time that it's supposed to. I just wish that Essie hadn't changed so much, but I suppose that Raf's death affected her more than anyone knew."

Leah nodded against his chest, drawing in a few shaky breaths as she pulled away from him to look up into his face. There was a sadness there that told her he had also experienced great grief, and she reached up to pat his shoulder lightly. "Grief is a terrible thing to wrestle with."

"Indeed it is, Leah."

They looked at Henrik, and he gave them a tight look. "Did you get good news?" she asked, wanting to know the cause for his consternation.

"Of a sort. Jan is coming, but it is going to take her a little longer than expected, since she wants to bring along another doctor, just in case something goes wrong on the drive back. So they should be here in about two hours. Jan said she'd call when they were close, so that one of us could guide her up to this room."

"That's good," Sacha replied as they all turned their attention back to Roxanna. "I just cannot wait until this ordeal is over for her. She didn't deserve to have this happen to her, and it sickens me to think that a doctor can think he can play God like this."

"I know, Sacha. And it hurts even more when you consider the man who was playing God was one of your closest friends. I thought I knew him, and that Roxanna was just being paranoid about his true mission. I should have listened to her, when she tried to tell me what she had found. Then we might have been able to avoid this outcome. I could have saved her from this hell that she'd been trapped in for months, and we might have started working towards a deeper relationship."

Leah could hear the sorrow in his voice, and she reached out her free hand towards him, not expecting him to clasp it as tightly as he did. "But we're here now, and I know that all of us will help her recover. Yes?"

"Yes," he whispered as he stepped closer to her, stopping short of closing all distance between them, and she knew that it was the most that he could allow. Sighing a little, Leah let her head come to rest against Sacha's shoulder. "When we get back to Holby, I know that things will be dire for a while, because a person does not bounce back from such an ordeal lightly. I hope that I can depend on both of you to keep this as close to your hearts as possible, as I don't want Roxanna to be inundated with gawkers or the media. They're insidious, and will stop at nothing to get their story, even if we bar them from entry to the hospital. And I do not want to see her recovery hindered in any manner."

"Of course, Henrik. We'll do everything in our power to keep her as protected as possible once she's home." Sacha stroked her hair lightly, and Leah nodded as she continued to gaze at her sister, hoping that the roads would be clear enough for the Holby staff to get here as quickly as possible.


	24. Chapter 24

A tense silence fell over the room as they waited for the police to arrive and take their statements. Leah found herself resorting to pacing around the room, her stomach twisting into tighter and tighter knots as the minutes ticked by. A door rattling downstairs got all their attention, and she looked to Henrik, instinctively seeing him as the leader. "I'll go see who that is," he said lowly. "Sacha, you stand guard at the door. Leah, you protect Roxanna."

They nodded, and then he was slipping out the door, Sacha at his heels. Leah looked down at Roxanna, trying to take deep breaths as she waited for some clue as to what was going on. Sinking back down onto the bed, she picked up Roxanna's cool hand and held on tightly. The sound of raised voices caught her attention, and she squeezed Roxanna's hand quickly before letting go and making her way over to the door, opening it and peeping her head out to see that Sacha had also reacted to the voices.

"I think that sounds like John," he said off-handedly, and she nodded, instinctively stepping closer to the man, since she wasn't certain what was happening downstairs. Another commotion made her jump a little, and she glanced back at Roxanna's room, her thoughts instantly thinking of how she could protect Roxanna from whatever was happening. "Go, I'll be right behind you."

Nodding, Leah spun around on her heel and booked it back into the room, standing squarely in front of Roxanna's bed. Sacha stood next to her, and she tried to fight the urge to hyperventilate, knowing that Henrik was a strong man and could handle Gaskell and Essie if he had to. That plan flew out the window when she heard feet pound up the stairs towards them, and she threw a panicked look at Sacha before starting to breathe shallowly, feeling her hands and feet turn to ice as the nerves started to take hold of her body.

The bedroom door burst open, and Gaskell came rushing through, his eyes wild with fear. It took him a moment to focus in on the fact that there were people in the room with Roxanna, and as his gaze slid from Sacha to her, Leah could feel something in him shift. Gaskell stopped right in front of her, looking up into her eyes as the blood drained from his face. "You!" he gasped out, looking like he had seen a ghost as he looked from Roxanna to her. "Who are you? I knew that there was always something more to you, but I could never put it together."

"I'm Roxanna's little sister. You should never have messed with my family, Gaskell, because now everything has come home to roost for you," she hissed as she stepped closer to him, refusing to back down or be intimidated by him any longer. Now that she had her sister to protect, she had nothing left to lose, after all. She could feel Sacha step up, as if he was planning to step between them, but she shook her hand at him, trying to let him know that she was perfectly all right with where things were at the current moment.

"When did she find out about you? Because she never mentioned a little sister in all her time with us." Gaskell looked so perplexed in that moment, and she felt the energy between them palpably change as his face slackened into open confusion. Leah was startled when he reached up to touch her face. She pulled away, but didn't reach up to smack his hand away, as was her instinct, and Gaskell sighed a little as he caressed her cheek. "There were two of you in this world, and I never knew. I could have collected you both."

Leah shivered a little as she shook her head. "Sorry, I might be bisexual, but I'm only attracted to women old enough to be my mother." Pulling back a little further, she welcomed Sacha's hand on her shoulder as they heard the sound of more feet coming up the stairs towards them. It was only when she saw Henrik and a police officer enter the room that she truly relaxed, her shoulders dropping in relief.

"Is everything all right up here?" Henrik asked, looking between Leah and Gaskell. She gave a small nod as she watched the officer cuff Gaskell before leading him downstairs. The moment it was just the four of them once more, Leah took a few steps forward before hugging Henrik tightly, tears once more starting to pour down her face as she let go of all the stress and fear from the last few days. "Shh, Leah, everything will be all right," he whispered in her ear, patting her back gently before closing his arms around her and holding her close, allowing her time to get control of her emotions once more. "The police are going to need to get our statements before they leave, I thought that I would go first, and then Leah. Sacha, you were never truly involved in this whole affair, so you should give your statement last."

She nodded against his chest, pulling away from him to wipe at her eyes. "As long as Roxanna is safe now, it doesn't matter what happens next. I will gladly do whatever I have to do to ensure that Gaskell will never see the light of day as a free man again." She knew that she was being a bit harsh, but the man had also kept her sister in a vegetative state for much too long, and while she would have loved to see blood, she knew that that was not an appropriate way to deal with her anger at the man. "Did they say what Essie would be facing? I mean, she was obviously his accomplice, and she needs to pay, too."

Henrik gave her a slightly disappointed look, and Leah took a deep breath as she shrugged, wanting him to know that she was serious about wanting to see Essie pay for her part in Roxanna's captivity. "She is being brought in as well, though I don't know what she'll be charged with. It will all depend on our statements and the evidence that is gathered. I'll be heading downstairs now to start giving my statement. Think carefully about what you are going to say to them. I can only hope that you tell them the truth as you know it without any embellishments."

"Yes, Henrik," she replied, slightly mollified by his words. He gave her a small smile before turning and leaving the room. As soon as he was gone, Leah turned to Sacha and sighed deeply. "I want to lie and make everything seem much worse than it is, but is there really a worse than a person having kept a woman captive in a vegetative state for months? I know, he could have murdered her, but somehow this seems like a million times worse?"

"I know exactly what you mean, Leah. There's not much worse out there, especially since we would not have known about this if you hadn't come along. He would have gotten away with this evil deed, and so would have Essie, and that is one of the saddest things I could ever think about. I am so glad that you came into our lives." Sacha patted her shoulder softly, and Lean nodded as she turned to look at Roxanna, wishing that the ambulance from Holby would arrive soon, so that they could begin the long process of making Roxanna well again.


	25. Chapter 25

Despite her best intentions, Leah had still been unnerved by her discussion with the police. There was something so intense about the DCI who was asking her questions, and she did her best to be as truthful as possible, while trying to sound neutral about what she had seen and overheard during her time at Holby. By the time that she was done, she felt like she had run an emotional gauntlet, and she wished that they could go to a bar and get a stiff drink, but she knew that was an impossibility, since they were still waiting on the ambulance from Holby to arrive.

Sighing, Leah flopped back onto the sofa and tried to focus on what she was supposed to be doing – listening for the sound of the siren that told her the ambulance was arriving. Closing her eyes, she tried to replay her conversation with the detective, to see if she had left anything out, or embellished anything. Feeling satisfied with her report, she let out anther deep sigh as she drummed her fingers on her torso as she waited. There wasn't anything that she could be doing in that moment, since her skills as a doctor were not up to the same level as Sacha and Henrik, which was why she had been relegated to the living room to wait. And that was the last thing she was good at.

Pulling out her phone, she scrolled through her notifications, seeing that Serena had texted her four times, asking if she knew what was going on, and where they all were. Knowing that she had to let her know what was happening. She kept her message short, knowing that at any time the ambulance could arrive at any moment. After she sent it, Leah could hear the faint sound of sirens in the distance, and she popped to her feet and went to the door, looking out the window to see the lights of an ambulance. Knowing that it was time, she opened the door and stepped outside, raising her hand so that whoever was driving knew that they were there.

As the ambulance came to a stop, she could see that there were three people in the vehicle, and she wondered who all had come along. "Hiya, I'm Jan," the driver said as she got out, and Leah nodded as she beckoned them towards the door.

"I'm Leah Faulkner. Roxanna is being held upstairs, Sacha and Henrik are up there, trying to figure out the easiest way to transport her back to our hospital."

Jan nodded and brushed past her, a younger blonde woman following close at her heels. Leah wanted to turn and follow them instantly, but decided to wait for the last person to show their face. A small breath caught in her throat when she saw that it was Connie Beauchamp, and her cheeks flushed deeply as the woman came up to her side. "Everything all right, Doctor Faulkner?"

"Y-yes," she stammered, watching the woman smirk as she strode into the flat. Turning, Leah followed in her wake, trying to get her composure back. She didn't know what it was about the woman, but she intimidated Leah in all the right ways, and she knew that that was not entirely a good thing. That had gotten her into trouble before, with Serena, and she was not about to make that same mistake twice. Shaking her head a little, Leah followed Connie up the stairs, listening to the sound of voices getting progressively louder the closer they got to Roxanna's room.

"…be room in the back of the bus if you come along, too. That's why Connie agreed to come along, to take care of her on the way to the hospital."

"I won't ride in the back, you and Connie can do that, to keep an eye on her vitals and make certain that nothing goes wrong on the journey back to Holby. I just do not want to be separated from her again for any length of time!"

This was the first time that Leah had ever heard him raise his voice like that, and she knew that it was a result of his caring so much about her sister. Meeting his eye, she gave him an encouraging smile before taking a spot next to Sacha. She couldn't really say anything about the current situation, since everyone else in the room had more experience than she did as a medical professional, save for the young blonde who kept looking back and forth between Jan and Henrik as they continued to loudly discuss how to transfer Roxanna. Finally, Connie threw up her hands and shouted, "Enough!"

Everyone looked at her, and Leah flushed a little as she looked away from the woman, feeling discombobulated by her once more. "Yes, Connie?" Henrik bit out, narrowing his gaze.

"You aren't going to let this go, and Jan does have a point, so we need to come to an agreement here. Ruby, you'll drive back to Holby, and Henrik, you'll be in the passenger seat. We will not hear a peep out of you the entire ride, because if we do, I will have Ruby pull over, let you out, and you will have to arrange your own way home. Do I make myself clear?"

There was a slight pause, and then Henrik jerked his head up and down once in agreement. Connie nodded in return before starting to talk to Jan about how to do the transfer to the ambulance, while Henrik came over to Sacha and Leah. "Would you mind packing my things into one of the bags in the room, Sacha?"

"Of course, Henrik. And we'll meet you at the hospital. I'm certain that everyone is going to have questions, so Leah and I will handle them while you stay with Roxanna and try to figure out the next steps."

He shook his head a little. "I'm going to be contacting Guy Self on the drive back. I don't have the expertise to remove the clip in her brain, and he's the best neurosurgeon that we have access to, since there is no way I'd allow John anywhere near any of us again. He might need one of you to assist him, so you need to be prepared for that."

"All right." Leah gave him a weak smile before she went over to Roxanna's side and picked up her hand, squeezing it softly, getting her attention. "I know, we're all speaking about you, not with you. I'm sorry. But soon, you'll be better. Guy Self really is one of the best doctors I've had the opportunity to work with." Roxanna gave her one long, slow, blink, letting her know that she understood, and Leah squeezed her hand once more. "I love you, and I've only just met you. We have so much to talk about once you're more yourself again. I promise, I'll see you soon."

Another slow blink, and Leah smiled wobbly as she stood up and went back over to Sacha's side. "Are you ready to head out?" he asked lowly, and she nodded, not trusting herself to speak without bursting into tears, and he clapped his hand onto her shoulder as they left the room. "You don't always have to have a stiff upper lip, you know. It is completely okay to cry."

"I think that if I started to cry now, I might not ever stop. And Roxanna needs to see that we're strong right now, for her. She has to be so scared, locked in to her own mind, unable to communicate with us effectively, knowing that she was being held captive by a madman who thought himself in love with her. It's just so, so, awful." Her voice broke on the last word, and she pulled away from Sacha to hurry down the last of the steps, trying to suck in as much air as she could so as to keep from crying. It was only when he reached her side once more and held out his arm that she shook her head and burst into tears once more, burying her face into the side of his neck as he held her close, comforting her as best he could.


	26. Chapter 26

Leah and Sacha had managed to reach the hospital only twenty minutes after the ambulance, and Fletch had been waiting at the entrance for them, guiding them up to Darwin, where it seemed a number of the staff were gathering, trying to figure out how someone who had once been dead had now returned to life. "Please, disperse the crowd, Fletch," Sacha said as he brought Leah into Jac's office. Henrik and Guy were there already, looking at scans of what Leah assumed was Roxanna's head. The man nodded and left them alone as he backed out of the room, and Leah could hear his voice start to admonish the gathered throng, urging them to get back to their jobs.

Taking a deep breath, Leah tried to surreptitiously study the scans, trying to identify what it was that Henrik and Guy were looking at, what those concerned looks on their faces could be. "I'm glad to see you again, Ms Faulkner. Henrik has told me that it was you who found Roxanna and never gave up on the idea that she might still be alive. It's horrible what some people will do for love, but then, we're not psychologists, and can't diagnose mental illnesses in people who are not before us. Now, I am going to ask you to scrub in with me and assist on this case. I know exactly what I need to do, Henrik and I were just going over the last-minute details."

She blinked rapidly for a moment, trying to get her pounding heart to beat in normal time once more as she regarded them. "I'm certain that Henrik also told you that Roxanna is my half-sister, and as family, I should not be anywhere near her during a surgical procedure," she started to protest, only for the man to hold up his hand, cutting off her words as he regarded her carefully.

"We don't have time to quibble about such things, Ms Faulkner. We worked well together last time, and I trust you to be a steady, capable, hand in the operating room, should I need you to step in. I will be doing the majority of the work, this will just be another learning experience for you. I know that you can do this, and it will truly help save your sister. So, are you ready to scrub in?"

She looked at Henrik and saw that he was giving her a pained, desperate, look. Knowing that she couldn't say no, since Henrik was in no position to help in the operating room, she turned her attention back to Guy and gave him a tight nod. "Just let me get changed into scrubs, and I'll meet you in the operating room."

Guy nodded and she took a deep breath as she turned and hurried from the room, bumping into Fletch near the nurses' station. "Everything all right?"

She shook her head a little. "I need to change into scrubs, and I don't have a locker on this floor, and…"

He tightened his hands around her upper arms, applying enough pressure to get her attention, and Leah took a few shallow breaths as she looked up into his face. "Breathe, Leah. Everything will be all right. Now, let me show you to the locker room, and after you change, I'll stow your clothes in Jac's office, since no one is really using it at the moment. You're doing a good thing."

"Am I?" she asked as they walked along. "She's my sister, and it feels like I'm making a huge ethical mistake by even being the room where she's being operated on. Guy Self says that he'll be doing most of the work, but still…"

"You're the best person for the job," he replied. "If Self asked for you to accompany him, he admires your work and knows that you can do the job he requires of you. Keep that in mind as you head into the operating room. I mean, you were a steady hand in working on Jac, and that meant the world to me. This should be just as smooth for you."

"What if I'm too tired to properly do my job? I've been on the go, it seems, for the last forty-eight hours, and everything just feels sort of shimmery?"

"You're just looking for a way out," he replied as he opened the door to the locker room. "Don't do that to yourself, Leah. You are a better doctor than you currently think you are, and I know that everything will go off without a hitch. Trust yourself and know that you're doing a great good work."

She nodded as she shut the door on him, pulling out the right size purple scrubs and quickly changing into them. Taking a look into the mirror, she tried to imagine Roxanna wearing the same colour, knowing that they were the scrubs that all neurosurgeons wore at Holby. Tears threatened to tumble from her eyes, and she took a deep breath as she savagely wiped her eyes with the back of her hand before grabbing a spare surgical cap and tying it around her head, covering her hair, before she exited the room, giving Fletch a tiny smile as she made her way to the operating room.

Guy was already at the sink, working on his hands, when she arrived, and she took up the spot next to him, trying to breathe normally as they cleaned their fingers and hands. "I know that you think you're not capable of doing this, Ms Faulkner, but I have complete faith in you. This clip that Gaskell left in Roxanna's brain won't take that long to cut, but there is always the risk of complications, which is really why you're here. Though I will be talking my way through the surgery, so you know what to do, should you ever find yourself in the position of doing the same without a neurosurgeon on hand to help you out. I hope that she doesn't mind the fact that we'll have to shave off a patch of her hair once more."

"You have to do whatever needs to be done to rescue her from this hell. She's in there, she can communicate, just not as fluidly as before. Do you think that the clip will have affected any of her other motor skills?"

"We'll only know that once she's started to recover. I don't want to get your hopes up by promising that everything will be as it was before, and then have a major setback in her recovery. This is somewhat uncharted territory that we're in, since this is truly Gaskell's handiwork."

She nodded, knowing that he was giving her the best-case scenario. Finally, they were both ready to step into the operating room, and as she accepted the help of the nurse helping her into the paper gown that would cover her scrubs, Leah started to go through everything that would change once she and Roxanna could speak to each other.

Guy gestured for her to take a place next to him as he started getting to work, and she watched as he removed a piece of her skull and then began to manipulate the small tools that snaked into the depths of Roxanna's brain. On the screen in front of them, Leah watched as he grew closer and closer to the clip that stretched across on of the major blood vessels there. Her breaths grew shallower and shallower as his hand steadily manipulated the tools, cutting through the clip with an ease that belied the difficult nature of the surgery. She tried to hold on to his words as he worked, knowing that they were important to her education, but all she seemed able to focus on was the fact that her sister could now truly begin to heal from the hell she had been kept in for too long.


	27. Chapter 27

"She'll probably sleep for another day, at least. Surgery, especially brain surgery, takes a lot out of the body." Leah looked around the room at Sacha and Henrik, seeing them nod in agreement. "I know that you'll want to talk with her right away, but you have to understand that she will be in a fragile state for many weeks, if not months, to come. This will not be something that she'll simply bounce back from and be at her full capacity in a few days. Do not do anything that will upset her, or agitate her, or excite her. I know that we're all physicians here, and should know how to care for one of our own, but it still needs to be said."

Leah gave Guy a small smile as she, too, nodded. "But at least we were able to take out the clip with no complications. I think that that can be considered a win in our books."

"Of course, Ms Faulkner. Now, my work here is done, yet again, and I am going to be returning home. Should you need my services again, do not hesitate to call. And Ms Faulkner, if you should decide that you wish to follow in your sister's footsteps and make your mark in the world of neurosurgery, you would be doing a smart thing. You have the makings of a great one."

She blushed a little at the praise, knowing that it didn't come lightly from the man. "Thank you, I'll keep that in mind." Reaching out, she took hold of his hand and shook it firmly. He gave her a brief smile before he turned and left the office, and she sighed a little as she turned her focus back to Sacha and Henrik. "All right, I have the feeling that we really don't want to leave Roxanna alone, even though we know that there's nothing here than can hurt her any longer. I am thoroughly willing to take the first watch over her, seeing as how it's already eight in the evening. Both of you need to get home and get some good rest, as I'm certain that the days ahead of us are going to be long and arduous, especially as we'll all have to cover shifts on Keller while looking after my sister."

"I could always watch her," Lofty said as he came into the room, giving Leah a troubled smile. "She's my friend, too, and I want to take care of her."

"Of course you're welcome to help, Lofty," Sacha said as he beckoned him over to their sides. "But I agree with Leah in this case. Family should be the one to take that first watch. Can I get you something to eat, Leah?"

"That would be nice, thank you." She smiled up into Sacha's face before going over to Roxanna's bedside and taking a seat in the chair there. Sacha and Lofty left the room together, and she allowed her shoulders to droop tiredly as Henrik came up to her side and rested his hand on her shoulder. "I feel like I've lived ten years in the space of a week," she murmured as she lifted her face to look into his face.

He nodded. "It's hard to believe that we rescued her, that she has come back to us. Are you certain that you want to take the first watch? I wouldn't mind doing so, and you could sleep in the on call room, if you didn't want to head home."

"I need to do this, Henrik. I need to see things through to the end. And a small part of me really wants to be the first one to see her wake up." He nodded before patting her shoulder softly. "I really think that she loves you, truly, Henrik. There was just something in her eyes when we were at the flat that told me that truth."

"It seems that we're open books, easy to read," he murmured as he lifted his hand and made for the door. "I'll still be here for a few hours, as there is a lot of paperwork associated with this incident that I need to get finished, and I also have to liaise with the police once more, so that they can conduct their investigation down in John's lab. This is going to be a nightmare to deal with."

He sounded exhausted, and she nodded as she let out a soft sound of commiseration. "But at least you have a sweet dream to help you pass through the nightmare?" Henrik looked down and smiled at her, a true smile, not just one of his usual tiny ones, and that was all it took to help her realise just what her sister might see in him.

"That is a perfect thing to keep in mind, yes. Thank you, Leah. I'll see you soon." She nodded and watched him leave, waiting for the door to close before she looked at Roxanna, picking up her hand and holding it lightly as she watched her and the monitors closely, willing her sister to heal quickly. Sacha came and went with her food, and then she was alone. The noise of the monitors kept her attention for a little while, but it seemed that after her meal, all the adrenaline drained from her body, and even though she tried to fight it, sleep stole over her quickly, and the last thing she knew, she was resting her head on the side of Roxanna's bed, still holding on to her hand tightly.

And then, she was waking up, feeling cocooned in warmth, and as she sat up, she felt a blanket pool around her waist and knew that someone had taken pity on her whilst she slept. Looking across the bed, she found that Henrik was on Roxanna's other side, and she smiled at him as she stretched. "I guess I was more tired than I thought," she mumbled apologetically, and he nodded.

"I caught a little sleep myself in my office, since I knew that I had too much to do here to even think about heading home."

"This is going to take weeks, isn't it? John Gaskell left us a mess to clean up, and with your focus divided between that and Roxanna, there's bound to be something that falls through the cracks. I just want you to know that I will do whatever I can to support you and the hospital. If I still have a job here."

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course you have a job here. There is no way that I would let you go, as you have become a real asset to our surgical staff in the short time you've been on Keller. And I have the feeling that Roxanna would never forgive me if I let you slip from the team before she had the chance to get to know you better."

Leah was about to say something sarcastic when she heard a soft cough behind her. Turning her head a little, she saw Serena standing in the doorway, an inscrutable look on her face. "I thought I had heard rumors about a return from the dead. You are very lucky, Henrik."

"I am. Is there anything else that you needed?"

"I need to speak with Ms Faulkner for a moment. Don't worry, I'll give her back, Henrik."

He nodded before giving Leah a tiny smile. "I'll keep vigil until you return, Leah." She nodded as she got to her feet, following Serena out into the hall, wondering what the woman could possibly want to say to her.


	28. Chapter 28

Leah let out a deep breath as she followed after Serena, feeling like she was a naughty child being called into the principal's office. She didn't properly breathe again until they were in the staff room of that floor, and Serena had locked the door to keep others out. Taking a seat at the table, she folded her hands on it, watching warily as Serena took a seat across from her, staring at her with confusion evident in her gaze.

The silence between them stretched out to awkwardness, and then she cleared her throat before licking her lips to try and distract herself from the quiet. "Fuck it," she finally muttered, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath. "Go on, ask it."

"Did you know from the moment you started on AAU that Roxanna was your sister?" She nodded. "And what was your intention in kissing me, then?"

Opening her eyes, she looked at Serena's mouth, knowing that if she were to stare into her eyes, she might lose her nerve. "I had grandiose plans of seducing you and using your position to help me find out more information about my sister. I had no idea that you were in a committed relationship at the time, or that that fact would make me feel insanely guilty for even trying anything with you. I regret our kiss, but only because you aren't free. If you had been unattached? I would have gone for it, simply because you're insanely hot, and tick all my boxes for women that I'm attracted to. Then again, so does someone else here, who I probably don't stand a chance with. That's my other weakness, falling for women who wouldn't give me a second glance."

Serena chuckled a little, which changed the atmosphere in the room immensely. "You are not the only one. I fell in love with my best friend, and she was my first experience with a woman, as well. When Bernie gets here for the wedding, you'll have to meet her. Though I will warn you, she'll probably inform you that she knows thirteen ways of killing you with her bare hands and make it look like an accident. She gave the same warning to Fleur Fanshawe when she delivered my great niece."

Leah laughed as she nodded. "I will keep that in mind, then," she replied as she let her defenses down around Serena. "But for the moment, I think that I am completely all right with being single. I have too much to worry about without adding a relationship to the mix."

"I completely understand that. So, another hard question for you to think about. Where do you see your future taking you?"

Though she knew that Henrik had all but set in stone the fact that she had a place at Holby, there was still a shiver of fear that ran up and down Leah's spine as she brought her eyes up to look into Serena's. A part of her wanted to be coy, but she knew that that would get her nowhere with the woman. "I foresee myself staying at Holby, finishing out my rotation on Keller, and then doing a rotation with neuro. Guy Self said that he feels I have the makings of a good neurosurgeon. And once Roxanna is well enough to return to her duties, I think it would be a rare privilege to learn under her. After all, I've heard from many people at Holby that she is considered one of the finest in the country."

Serena nodded as she considered her, a knowing smile on her lips. "You wouldn't be the first pair of half sisters to work together. I'm just pleased that this looks like it will turn out a sight better than the last time. Tragedy has always seemed to stalk our halls."

Leah tilted her head to one side, trying to work out what Serena meant, as she felt like she couldn't ask about what had happened. The tone of her voice told her that it was something she regretted immensely, and seeing as how they were actually talking to each other at the moment, she didn't want to rock the boat too much. "Life is tragedy, and romance, and little spots of happiness. Some are blessed with an easier life than others, to be sure, but the blessing of life is that we can always find a way out of the tragedy?"

"Perhaps you should have been a philosopher instead of a doctor," Serena answered with a watery chuckle. "Now, I suppose that you want to get back to keeping your vigil. And someone needs to look after Henrik, or else he'll fade away like he's done before."

They rose to their feet, and to Leah's surprise, Serena came around to her side and stood in front of her expectantly, staring up into her eyes. "Yes?"

"You really do have some of the bluest eyes I've ever seen." And then she was hugging Leah gently, and for some stupid reason, Leah teared up once more, feeling the enormity of what had happened over the previous few days wash over her. "Shh, it's not as bad as all that."

"No, but…"

"I know. It's finally hitting you that you took a very large risk by going to find your sister alone, without the benefit of the police. You could have been hurt, you all could have, and that would have left the hospital that much diminished. You really need to tell someone about your ideas before you run off half-cocked. And you can say the same thing to Henrik, with my name behind it. God knows I've tried to make him listen to me on more than one occasion, but my words never quite seem to sink in."

The gentle chiding seemed to be enough to get Leah to choke on a laugh, and then the older woman was rubbing her back gently before pushing her away. "I don't think that I'm quite close enough to Henrik to deliver those exact words to him, but I will take them to heart, Serena. I hope you don't mind that I didn't finish my rotation on AAU. I just knew that we couldn't work together and remain civil, so I changed course midstream."

"I think that the choice you made was the wisest and best course of action to take. There are times when we get so focused on one thing that we don't take time to consider how our actions might affect those around us. That was a large part of what fed into my own sabbatical a while ago." A tremulous smile appeared on her lips before Serena drew in a deep breath and shook her head. "Seriously, don't encourage me to prattle on, you'll never get back to your sister and Henrik if I do."

Leah nodded and impulsively hugged Serena one more time before turning on her heel and fairly flying back down the hall to her sister's room. From outside the door, she could hear Henrik lowly singing in Swedish to Roxanna, and Leah found her heart aching over the tender moment that she was intruding upon. Not wanting to startle him, she reached out and knocked softly on the door before entering, sad to hear him stop his song. "Does my sister understand Swedish?"

"A little. I tried to teach her a few words when she found out that I wasn't as English as I liked to pretend I was in medical school." Leah laughed a little as she nodded. "She is so good at finagling information out of people. I should have realized the familial connection a lot sooner than I did, because you seem to have picked up that trait from her."

"The best traits are always the one that seem to be passed along. Will, will you tell me more about her? Now that you know how we're related, I really would like to know more about her from you." Henrik gave her a small nod, and as she took a seat once more, he began to speak, his eyes flicking between her and Roxanna as he told her stories of their time at Rigden.


	29. Chapter 29

Leah smiled as she sat up and cracked her back. Her stomach was grumbling fiercely, but she didn't want to leave Roxanna's side, just in case she woke up. Henrik had had to go attend to hospital business, and had yet to return, which was all right, since he had a lot of important work to take care of, but that also meant that there was no one to stay while she left for a few moments to pick something up. Sighing a little, she adjusted how she was holding Roxanna's hand before making herself a little more comfortable in her chair.

Just as she had gotten settled in again, Lofty and Sacha appeared in the doorway, and it was so easy to return the older man's smile as he came up to her. "Henrik called me a few minutes ago and said that he is going to be much longer than anticipated. Would you like to head out to supper with me? Lofty has offered to sit with Roxanna until we returned, and has promised to call one of us if her condition should change."

"It would be nice to get out of the hospital for a little while," she murmured as she squeezed her sister's hand. "Promise me that the moment she opens her eyes, you'll let me know."

"Of course, Leah. Just, take care of yourself and refill your engine for a little while. You won't do her any good if you burn out."

She nodded, thinking about Henrik and he was doing that very thing. "I know. As soon as we're back, Sacha, you should go up and see that Henrik makes his way home tonight."

"As long as you do the same. Lofty and Donna can take turns sitting with Roxanna tonight. We're all exhausted."

Leah sighed as she got to her feet, knowing that Sacha was completely correct. "I'm glad that someone is looking out for us. A part of me really wants to just sit here and watch until she wakes up." Sacha nodded as he guided her out of the room and over to the lifts. "I know that Guy said it could be a long time before she came back to us, since the brain is a funny organ that we don't know everything about yet. And I know that, kind of. I just want Roxanna to beat the odds and wake up in the next few hours."

He nodded as they waited for the lift to arrive, and she was thankful when it was empty, since that meant they could talk in private. "I would love to have that sort of reckless optimism once more, Leah. But you have to temper that optimism with a small dose of realism. The Roxanna that wakes up might not be the Roxanna who went to sleep, if that makes sense."

"I know, Sacha. I'm just keeping the positive thoughts in the forefront of my mind when I'm in the same room as her. I know it's semi-anecdotal, but I want to believe that good, positive, thoughts can help healing along just as much as our modern medicine."

He chuckled a little as he quickly rubbed the spot between her shoulder blades. The warmth of the gesture bled into her body, and she stepped a little closer to him, wanting to feel something other than the damn cold that had seemed to soak into her bones. "You've kept this side well hidden, Leah."

"Well, I haven't had the opportunity to be soft while I was here yet. So I haven't shown this side before." Sacha nodded as he rested his hand on her shoulder, the familiar touch quite welcome to her, and she wondered a little at the stray thought that ran through her head. Shaking her head almost imperceptibly, Leah allowed herself to relax and lower her head onto the upper part of his chest, breathing in deeply as she tried to think about things that were normal, since the situation that she was currently in was not in any way normal.

Without protest, Leah allowed Sacha to lead her over to his car, and they silently rode to a local restaurant. It was a nice silence, though, soft and gentle, and she found herself starting to fall asleep a bit as they went along. "You need to eat before you sleep, Leah," Sacha said softly as he pulled into a parking spot and then gently shook her shoulder.

Sitting up, she stretched a little before turning to look at him. "I know, but I can feel myself flagging. I'm sorry that I'm such horrible company."

"You're fine." He smiled at her again, and this time, there was a different tone to it, one that she slightly recognized, though she didn't want to acknowledge it. She had made too many mistakes at Holby, and this was not about to be another one. Leaning in, she pressed her lips quickly to his cheek before getting out of the vehicle and starting for the door. Sacha quickly caught up with her, and she welcomed his hand on her elbow as they went inside. "Two, please," he said to the host, and she nodded before leading them into the restaurant, stopping by a small table towards the back of the room.

It wasn't exactly romantic, but the darkened room did seem to lend a softer air to things, and she found herself fumbling with the menu as their server brought over water. After placing their order, Leah wrapped her hand around her water glass, needing something to hold on to as she regarded Sacha. "I've already made major missteps with Serena. I'm not about to do that twice in my foundation work. Even if you make me feel safe and comfortable." Her words poured out in a rush, as if she needed to know that he would hear them all before he said anything.

"That's understandable."

"But as soon as I start my rotation on another ward, then we can revisit this. I'm not like Meena or Nicky, in that I'm older than they are, I've seen life. And I generally know what I want. This is probably the more pragmatic side of me that you're accustomed to, Sacha, isn't it?"

He nodded, an easy smile on his lips. "I'll also let you know that Jac is my best friend, and she can be a little overbearing, so if that doesn't scare you away…"

"I'm always up for a challenge. Besides, she has to like me a little bit. I was one of the ones who helped save her life after all," Leah teased, feeling her heart lift a little as she winked at him.

Sacha laughed heartily as he nodded, and that seemed to clear the air between them as they went about eating their meal, talking about Roxanna and his family and all things that had gone on at Holby before she had arrived. That was when she learned that Serena had lost a child on the grounds, and her talk about tragedy made all the more sense, and that Sacha had been stabbed by a patient once. A part of her wanted to ask to see the scar, but she knew that that was beyond the pale, especially as they were still in the restaurant. Still, it was nice to get to know him better, and build a foundation towards something in the future.


	30. Chapter 30

Though she hadn't wanted to agree with Sacha, Leah knew that he had been absolutely correct in his assessment that she needed sleep in her own bed, and allowed him to drive her home. The first thing she did after saying goodbye to Sacha was trudge over to her bathroom and strip off her clothes before stepping into the shower and standing beneath the stream of water until she began to feel somewhat human once more. After she had dried herself off, Leah went into her bedroom and fell back on the bed, not bothering with pyjamas as she pulled the duvet up around her shoulders and quickly fell asleep.

When she woke up next, the sun was already high in the sky, and she knew that she was later than she wanted to be. Kicking off the duvet, she tumbled out of bed and hurried over to the dresser, pulling on underwear as she decided what to where to the hospital that day. After dressing, she hurriedly brushed her teeth before heading out the kitchen and grabbing something quick to eat before calling for a taxi, since her vehicle was still at the hospital.

As she waited, she scrolled through her notifications, disappointed to see nothing from Donna or Lofty that told her Roxanna was awake. Leah knew that it had been a long shot, but sometimes the long shot was the one that paid off, but knew that she couldn't allow herself to wallow in her disappointment. After all, negative feelings would get none of them anywhere.

Finally, her ride arrived, and she caught up on her email on the drive in. Then, it was up to Keller to find out if she was scheduled to be on shift that morning, and she gave Lofty a small smile as she stopped at the nurses' station. "So, where am I needed today?"

"At Roxanna's side. Mister Levy said that you can have another day dedicated to your sister, though if we need you for a surgery, I will have to call you." She nodded as she glanced over at Sacha, seeing him interact with a patient. He must have felt her eyes on him, since he looked up and gave her a friendly wave and smile. She returned the gesture before looking back to Lofty. "I'm sorry that I couldn't give you good news last night, I was really hoping that she would wake up before Dom and I went home for the evening."

"It is perfectly all right, Lofty. I know that it will probably take a little bit of time for Roxanna to wake up. And it's going to take an even longer time for her to get her brain around the fact that I am related to her. I know that she heard me when I was talking to her back at the flat, but I don't know how much of it sank in, you know? I'm not familiar enough with locked in syndrome to know exactly what will happen when she is able to talk to us once more." Giving him a soft smile, she patted his arm before heading for the lift once more that morning.

By the time she reached Roxanna's room, butterflies were furiously dancing in her stomach, and she tried to calm them by thinking about completely neutral things. Finally, she knew that she couldn't avoid entering any longer, and though her hand trembled on the handle, Leah still opened the door and went inside. The first thing that she noticed was the sound of multiple voices, one unfamiliar, and a great smile spread across her face as she realized what that meant. Closing the door behind her, she smiled to see that Henrik was talking lowly with Roxanna.

Unable to keep her tears in check, Leah haltingly made her way over to the free seat, sinking down into it without saying a word, not wanting to interrupt the conversation that was happening. The next thing she was struck by was how much Roxanna sounded like her, even if her voice was a bit gravelly from disuse. Henrik glanced up at her, giving her a tiny smile, and she nodded as she swiped beneath her eyes, trying to clear the tears from them so that she would be halfway presentable when Roxanna finally acknowledged her.

"Your savior is here now, Roxanna. I think that we should try and include her in our conversation, don't you?"

"Yes, Henrik," she replied quietly before slowly turning her head to look at Leah. A small gasp slipped from her lips, and Leah nodded a little as she pressed her lips together to keep from sobbing. "I remember you."

"That's good to know. How, how much do you remember?" she stammered out, her hand instinctively reaching out to clasp Roxanna's hand, only to stop at the last moment. Her hand hovered there for a moment as she glanced at Henrik, seeing him give her an encouraging nod. That steeled her resolve, and she lowered her hand down to Roxanna's, taking hold of it softly as she turned her focus back on her sister. There was a new warmth to her skin, as if the removal of the clip had restored more than just her brain to life, and she marveled at the feeling, allowing her thumb to run back and forth as they stared at each other.

"You said you were my sister. But that can't be, I would have known if my parents had another child."

Leah frowned as she glanced away from Roxanna, staring at their entwined hands as she tried to think of a political way to tell the woman that their father had had a brief fling with her mother, resulting in Leah. "I think that I was created when you were with Henrik and John at Rigden. At least, those dates add up. I know that it was only a few years that you were gone, but it wasn't a long relationship. I only found out about who my father was when my own mother died. And then I started putting things together, and found out about you. I thought I was too late…" Her voice trailed off as tears clogged her throat, and Henrik coughed gently, getting their attention.

"I am going to stretch my legs for a little bit, so that you two can talk a little more, in private. Leah, would you like me to bring you some coffee?"

"That would be lovely, yes." She smiled brilliantly up at him, blinking rapidly as her tears continued to fall. He nodded a little before leaving the room, and the silence that fell between them was jagged in a way that hurt Leah's heart, especially since she didn't know how to soften the edges. Finally, she took a deep breath and looked into Roxanna's blue grey eyes. "I wanted so much for our first meeting to be so different than this. I wanted to build a friendship and drop hints and get to know you before everything was revealed. I had this feeling in my heart that you wouldn't believe me. The only physical proof I have at the moment is a picture of my mother and our father together, but from the way John looked at me, I knew that I looked like you."

A tiny smile slipped across her lips as she closed her fingers around Leah's hand, squeezing as tightly as she had strength for. "All right, I believe you," Roxanna said a bit breathlessly, and Leah nodded, hoping beyond hope that things were a bit more open between them now.


	31. Chapter 31

Scooting the chair closer to Roxanna's bed, Leah found that she couldn't stop smiling at her sister, even though she couldn't find the words to say that was in her heart. Roxanna seemed to understand, as she gave her a tired smile before closing her eyes and letting out a deep sigh. "I don't think that I can talk much more today, Leah. I hope you don't mind if I ask you to carry on the majority of the conversation? Or that I have my eyes closed?"

"That's fine, you're still recovering! I didn't expect you to be awake so soon, anyway. Guy thought that it would be a week or more before came back to us. Do, do you mind if I hold your hand while we talk, though? I haven't had the opportunity for much tactile affection since Mum died, and…"

Her voice trailed off a little as she choked up yet again, and it was Roxanna to reached out and groped for her hand until she had found it, threading their fingers together before squeezing softly. "How about you start with telling my about your mother? And if I fall asleep, please know that it's not because I'm bored. I was telling Henrik earlier that there's this bone deep exhaustion that is filling my bones, and I don't know when, if ever, it will be gone."

"That's perfectly okay, Roxanna." Leah tapped her thumb against the back of her sister's hand and took a deep breath. "I suppose that I was lucky, in a way, to be born to a mother who loved me so deeply. And to have grandparents who were well off enough to allow me certain luxuries in life. I was able to be a part of so many opportunities that were not afforded to my peers. Though I was the only child of an only child, so it was kind of lonely. I always imagined that I had siblings, and I wished most of all that I had had a big sister who I could have confided in when I realized that I liked boys and girls."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Mum tried to be supportive, but she didn't understand, really. And my grand parents were…less than supportive. I made a lot of mistakes that I'm not proud of, but they made me who I am, and I wouldn't be who I am without them?" Roxanna nodded a little as she squeezed her hand a few times. The gesture was sweet, and Leah felt herself tear up a little as she took a few deep breaths. "But there were good days, believe me."

The lump in her throat seemed to grow too large to say anything more, and so she allowed silence to fall between them. After a few moments, she heard someone begin to hum, and she looked over at Roxanna, noticing that though her eyes were closed, the song was coming from her. Letting out a little sigh, she laid her head down on their hands and listened to what her sister was humming, thoroughly content to be still and listen to her. This was exactly what she had longed for when she was younger, and being here with her filled Leah's heart with a buoyancy that she hadn't experienced in years.

"Knock knock." Leah looked up to see Donna in the doorway, and she smiled a little as she sat up, beckoning the woman inside. "I'm on my break and thought that I'd take a peek in to see how you both were doing. Do you need anything, Leah?"

"No, Henrik said that he would get me coffee, and I'm not hungry at the moment. How are things on AAU?"

Donna rolled her eyes a little as she took the seat that Henrik normally sat in. "Busy. Ric called in sick today, so that leaves the burden of running the ward on Serena, and she is still frazzled from everything that happened with this."

She nodded in sympathy, noticing that Roxanna's hand was slack in hers, which told her that her sister was asleep. Carefully, she untangled their hands, and relaxed against the back of the chair, regarding Donna carefully. "I think that this whole situation is going to take much longer to untangle than anyone realizes. I'm just glad that it turned out as happily for Roxanna as it did. I was almost certain that things were not going to end as happily as they did, but here we are. My sister has a chance at love again. And I have the chance to know her."

"That is the best take away from all this misery, isn't it?" Donna asked as she looked at Roxanna's still form. "I should probably get back, though. I still need to grab a bite to eat before jumping back into the fray. Come and see me before you go home for the day?"

"Yes," she answered, watching as the woman got to her feet and went over to the door. As she pulled it open, a small gasp escaping her lips as she nearly ran into Henrik. "Ah, my sweet, sweet, caffeine fix has finally arrived!" she said as he entered the room, coming over to her side.

"And I also brought you something to eat, just in case you had changed your mind." He handed over her cup and a bag before going around to his chair and taking a seat. "I see that she's fallen asleep again?"

"Yeah, but that's to be expected, after everything that she went through. Right?" He nodded and Leah took a sip of her coffee before setting it on the small table next to her. Then she rummaged through the bag to find one of those flaky chocolate pastries that she was so fond of, and she looked up at him, giving him a wide grin as she pulled it out. "How did you know?"

"As CEO, it behooves me to know as much as possible about my staff. That, and I saw you pick one out for breakfast the other morning."

A giggle escaped her lips, and he chuckled in reply. "I guess that I have become predictable."

"There is nothing wrong with predictability. There is comfort to be found in the pattern, the familiar." Leah knew that he was speaking from his own experience, and she sighed a little as she nodded. Biting into the pastry, she let out a little groan of pleasure at the taste. "Roxanna makes the exact same face when she eats Victoria sponge. It is a little disconcerting to see that expression on another face. And it makes me wonder how I could have been so unobservant, since you look so much like her."

"But I told you that I wasn't related to her, so that gave you no reason to see me as anything other than a familiar ghost of someone you loved."

"Love," he corrected her gently, and she nodded, giving him a knowing smile. "And I'll thank you not to mention that to anyone here. There are some things that I do not want to share just yet."

"Certainly. I think you know by now that I can keep things close to the vest." They shared another smile before Leah focused on finished her treat, finding herself hungrier than she had thought. And she couldn't help but feel like she would always cherish these moments where she got to know Henrik a little better, before he had to put on his persona of CEO once more.


	32. Chapter 32

Leah looked down at her scrubs, debating if she should change before she went up to see Roxanna. Sacha passed her by, a soft grin on his lips, and she felt herself return the expression quickly, meeting his eyes steadily. "Heading up to see your sister?"

"That's the plan, yeah. I just don't know if I should go up like this, or change into my street clothes."

"I'd change. You always feel more like yourself in your own clothes," he replied, giving her a small wink. A little giggle escaped her lips as she nodded. "I'm heading up to see Jac myself, to see how she's recovering. From what I hear, she is terrorizing the staff."

"Do you blame her? She's used to being the one in charge!"

Sacha nodded as he walked with her over to the locker room. "Yes. Well. I'll leave you to it. Wish me luck?"

"You said yourself, she's your best friend. There's no need for any luck there." Looking both ways down the hall, she made certain that no staff was milling about before leaning in and pecking his cheek softly. "You're lucky you're cute," she said in a rush before slipping behind the door, listening to him chuckle as he moved along down the hall. Shaking her head a little at her boldness, Leah went over to her locker, quickly unlocking it before stripping off the used scrubs and tossing them in the bin before shimmying into her street clothes.

Once she was dressed, Leah grabbed her purse and made her way over to the lift, tapping her foot somewhat impatiently as she waited. Finally, the doors slid open, and she was surprised to see that there was someone already on it, and that it was Connie Beauchamp. Her heart started to pound in her chest as she pressed the button for her floor, and of course, Connie seemed to be able to hear her heart, as a small smirk spread across her face. "Heading up to see your sister?"

"Yeah. She's finally awake, and talking. Henrik spends a lot of time with her, more than I can, but I try to get as much in as I can. I mean, we've just found each other, so I would spend every waking moment up there if I could." Connie nodded, and Leah let out a long breath before clearing her throat a little. "And what brings you out of the ED?"

"I need to meet with Henrik, actually. I'll try to keep him out of your hair for a little while so that you can spend quality time with Roxanna."

She nodded dumbly, grateful for the consideration. "Did you know her?"

"Only by reputation. My colleague, Elle, was acquainted with her, as the few times we had to call for a neuro consult I was occupied elsewhere." She nodded, trying to think of some way to continue the conversation, but the doors sliding open on her floor meant that there was no more time to talk. Awkwardly, she waved at Connie before escaping the lift, burying her face in her hand as soon as the doors closed once more.

"You are so fucking extra, Leah," she muttered before savagely carding her fingers through her hair. "It's not like she'd even look twice at you. Healthy attractions need to be your focus," she said as she strode down the hall, turning into Roxanna's room whilst she was still talking to herself.

"You sound like me."

Startled, she looked up into her sister's eyes, delighted to see that she was sitting up and looking a good deal better than she had the day before. It was only after she had taken in the sight for a few seconds that she realized she had not been very careful with her speech. "You talk to yourself, too?" she asked as she took a seat in what she already thought of as her chair.

"I do, it helps me process my thoughts. But who are you attracted to here?"

Leah blushed as her shoulders scrunched up around her ears. "Connie Beauchamp. I know, you don't even need to say it, it's completely ridiculous and inappropriate, but she's really hot!"

Roxanna giggled as she shook her head. "You'd have competition, anyway. From what I recall, the few times that I was down in the ED, she only had eyes for one of her colleagues. Though said colleague seems to be absolutely clueless, and I wasn't able to clue her in before my accident."

"I see," she responded quickly, smiling at her sister. "Well, a girl can always dream, right? And it doesn't really matter how much I'm attracted to her, I have the feeling that I'm not going to end up with her anyway. Not when things seem to be moving ahead quite nicely with…"

She trailed off as she realized what she had been about to reveal, not certain that she wanted it to be known outside of the two of them just yet. "Who am I going to tell? Henrik?"

"True, yeah. Okay, so, I didn't expect to like Sacha, let me tell you. But there was just something about him that seemed to call to my soul while we were rescuing you, and now I may be counting down the days until I rotate to a different ward so that we can properly see each other? That was the ultimatum I laid down, was that stupid?"

"No, because technically he is your boss, and you should in no way step out with your boss." Roxanna's face relaxed into a soft smile. "But at least you know that there is something to look forward to. Sometimes the wait makes the end that much sweeter."

"Like for you and Henrik?" she asked before she thought better of it.

Roxanna blushed deeply as she looked away from Leah into her lap. "I want to say no, but I know he cares for me so deeply. I think I might love him, but there were things that John said to me, while I was locked in, that I can't get out of my head. There were things he did that I can't forget."

Leah shuddered as she leaned forward and took hold of Roxanna's hand, threading their fingers together as she tried to think of a way to comfort her sister. "What did he do to you?" she asked, feeling a deep anger start to grow in her breast as she thought about John.

"He didn't rape me, so thank God for that, but he kissed me a lot, touched me every time that Essie wasn't in the room with me. He told me that he loved me more than Henrik ever could, and the only way he could have both our love was to keep us separated." Tears started to pour down Roxanna's cheeks, and Leah got out of her chair, breaking germ protocol to sit on her sister's bed and wrap her in a tight hug as she sobbed. "And now, I don't know what the truth is any longer. I was kept a prisoner in my own brain for so long, and this all seems so strange and sharp to me. You're the only softness I know I can trust, even though we've just met."

"You're my sister, Roxanna. You can always trust me." Roxanna nodded a little as she hugged her back, continuing to cry on her shoulder as Leah murmured soothingly in her ear.


	33. Chapter 33

"Thank you for talking me back from the edge, Leah," Roxanna said as she slipped off the bed and back into her chair.

"That's what sisters are for, right?" She smiled at Roxanna, trying to feel a little happier than she was. Every fibre in her being screamed that she should find out what jail John Gaskell was being held in, and then ripping off his balls and forcing him to eat them before she stabbed him in the heart. Leah knew that that was a tad much, but she was so seethingly angry at him that it seemed appropriate. "So, when you get out of here, and have told Henrik that you love him, you and I are going to have to double date. I think that would be sweet, yes?"

"Yes. Though that might be a few months in the future."

"I know, and I can wait. After all, I need to finish my rotation on Keller, and hopefully you'll be back on the neuro ward, so that I can learn from you. I promise, I won't get underfoot."

Roxanna gave her an indulgent smile, and Leah knew that she had made the right decision to tease her in that manner. "Well, now I have a goal to work towards, then. It's always good to have something like that in our lives. I have been feeling better every day, but I know that means I'll have to have my own interview with the police soon. Henrik is coming to discuss that with me today, and I don't know how to respond."

"Just tell them the truth. And if you want Henrik or me to be there while you do talk with them, just ask. I know that I'll drop everything to be there, and I have a pretty good feeling that Henrik would do the same."

"Yeah." A softer smile relaxed her face, and Leah felt herself mirror that expression as they started to talk about Roxanna's childhood. The hours passed quickly, and it wasn't until Leah's stomach growled unhappily that she realized it might be time to leave her sister for the day. "Go, get some food. I'll be here when you come back. And if you see Henrik on your way out of the hospital, would you ask him to bring my phone or tablet? I hate to admit it, but I am getting bored when there's not someone here, and I want to catch up on emails and all that."

"Of course," she answered as she got up and quickly hugged Roxanna. "I don't know if I'll be by tomorrow, I have the late shift, but I might come up on my break and eat with you?"

"Sounds like you have it all planned out, Leah. I'll see you soon." She nodded and waved a little before exiting the room and starting down the hall, a wide smile on her lips as she thought about getting to know her sister better. Leah made a mental note to bring her own tablet with her when she visited next, so that she could show Roxanna pictures that she had on her Facebook from when she was young, and from her time in different countries.

She was so preoccupied that she managed to bump into Henrik before she registered his presence. "I am so sorry!"

"It is perfectly all right, Leah. I take it that you're just leaving Roxanna?"

She nodded and took hold of his arm, leading him over to the wall so that she could lean against it as she looked up into his eyes. "She's doing a lot better today, but she's also really nervous about talking to the police. Whatever John did to her, it must have been devastating, because the haunted look that slips over her face when she thinks about it just eats at my soul."

"Yes, well, the little that she's felt comfortable telling me makes me wonder how I never saw behind the mask that John has worn for the entirety of our friendship. It's heartbreakingly cruel to find out that someone you cared for deeply was using you for their own ends."

"Yeah," she whispered as she stepped towards him, hoping that he would understand what she wanted. It only took a moment, but then he was wrapping his arms around her as she hugged him back as tightly as she could. "I just want to fix everything, you know?"

"I do, because I feel the same way." They stepped back from each other, and she took a shuddery breath as she continued to look at him. "And I will be accompanying her interview with the police tomorrow, as she deserves to have someone with her."

"Good. I was going to suggest that one of us be there for her, and it's better that it be you, since you love her. This will just help cement your relationship with her."

Henrik blushed faintly, looking away from her as he adjusted his tie. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Leah."

"Don't play coy with me, Henrik. I know that you love her, and that she loves you, and that you would be so good together." She sighed a little before reaching out for his hand and clasping it gently. "I know that a horrible thing happened to you both, that you were betrayed by someone you both loved deeply, but you have to find the spot of good in all this, and help Roxanna to see it as well. But I will also have you know that Roxanna is my sister, and even though we've only been talking for these few days, I feel very protective of her. So if you should even think about breaking her heart, I will not hesitate to think about breaking your legs."

Henrik unexpectedly burst out into a rich, full, laugh, and Leah cocked her head as she stared at him. "If you could only see the look on your face right now, Leah. And whilst I have no doubt that you could try to break my legs, I know that you would do no such thing. You're not a violent person, no matter how fierce you try to appear."

She allowed him to pat her shoulder before he continued on towards Roxanna's room. As she watched, he paused outside her door, straightening his tie and smoothing his hair before he entered, and she giggled lowly, knowing that he was just as in love with her as she with him. Turning, she made her way to the lift, knowing that her sister was in good hands. It was so easy to let a happy tune start to fall from her lips, and as she stepped aboard the lift, she gave a happy smile to the others already there. Pulling out her phone, she texted Donna, letting her know that things were starting to get a little more serious between Roxanna and Henrik, knowing that she would keep that bit of gossip close to the vest. And in the back of her mind, Leah began to prepare for a happy future for all of them, knowing that her time being a living ghost had finally come to an end.


	34. Chapter 34

"Are you ready to head down, Roxanna?"

Her sister turned from the mirror, looking at Leah as she touched her hair. In the last nine months, it had finally gotten some length to it, now resting on her shoulders, and it only served to highlight how similar they looked, despite the gap in their ages. "Yes. I know that this has been a whirlwind of change for you, but I have loved having you with me as I recovered. Especially after you rotated into my department."

"No, you just loved having me around for a ride," she teased, knowing that Roxanna would take it well. As expected, her sister laughed as she turned back to look at her reflection, fingering the pendant around her neck. "Seriously, Roxanna, I don't think that you could look any more perfect than you do right now, and Henrik is going to love everything about you."

"I hope so," she replied as she went over to the table and picked up her bouquet. "And I know that Sacha is going to love your dress, too. That was why I chose it for you."

Leah blushed as ran her fingers along the neckline of her dress, feeling pinned to the spot. "Things are still so new. But I really like where it's going. I feel settled when I'm with him, more myself."

Roxanna nodded as she linked arms with her, and Leah stepped a little closer to her. "Though one thing I will be glad for is no more late night giggles."

"Ugh, you heard me come in? I am so sorry. I tried to be quiet, but…"

"But the exhilaration of fresh budding love is a little too much to contain at times? Believe me, I know. I had those same feelings when I was first with Henrik, back in Boston. And I am so glad that you have found this joy in life, as too often we're stuck in a rut of unhappiness. And either you or Serena are catching this bouquet at the end of the day."

"Better Serena than me. She needs to realise that Bernie won't wait forever for a commitment." Roxanna nodded as they made their way down the hall to the back of the room where the ceremony would be held. Leah took a deep breath as she gave Roxanna's arm over to Lofty and took her place in front of her sister, gazing down the short aisle that separated them from Henrik and Serena. She had been surprised when her sister had said that she would be standing up with Henrik, but it did make sense, when she really thought about it.

Taking a deep breath, Leah waited for the music to change before she started down the aisle, smiling sweetly at Sacha as she passed him. Then she reached the front and turned to take up her position, watching as Roxanna and Lofty started down the aisle. There was something so radiantly beautiful about her smile that it stole Leah's breath away, and she felt the first tears start to well up in her eyes as Roxanna was finally in place, looking at Henrik adoringly.

She found herself so invested in watching Henrik and Roxanna that the service passed by in a blur, and then they were kissing for everyone to watch. It was a tender, romantic, kiss, and Leah swiped aside a few tears as she watched them head down the aisle. Then Serena was clearing her throat quietly before extending her elbow to her. The woman certainly looked dapper in her tuxedo, and Leah couldn't tamp down the small flutter of attraction that rose in her breast. She knew that it was only that latent appreciation of something beautiful, that she would never do anything to jeopardize her relationship with Sacha, not when she had finally found the peace she had been longing for.

By the time she reached the back of the room, Henrik and Roxanna were standing in the back, holding hands and talking quietly to themselves. "You know, I'm going to miss having you around, Roxanna. My flat is going to seem so empty without your presence."

"It's time that we both moved forward in our lives, darling. We've both become much stronger people in the last nine months, and I cannot wait to see where life takes you. Especially if it's with Sacha," Roxanna whispered as she hugged Leah tightly. "We're always going to be siblings, as well you know, and you know where to find me."

"I know, but I'm still allowed to pout about losing my big sister to some guy." She winked at Henrik before stepping away from Serena and hugging him tightly before hugging Roxanna. "And may I remind you that my words still stand. You hurt her, I hurt you."

"I will always endeavour to keep that in mind, Leah."

"Good. Welcome to the family, Henrik. I'll try to be respectful of your authority at work, but Sunday dinners? It's all fair game." Roxanna giggled as she wrapped her arm around Leah's waist. "We still have to do pictures, yes?"

"Yes. There are a few that I want, but I don't want to take too long before we head to the reception. If you and Serena want to wrangle the photographer down, and head back up to the front, we'll be there as soon as we've greeted everyone."

Leah nodded before stepping away from her sister and following Serena over to the photographer. As Serena talked to her, Leah looked around for Sacha, feeling a bit lost without him by her side. A soft smile spread across her lips when she smelled his cologne, and she leaned back against his chest, welcoming the soft kiss he placed to the top of her head before they followed after Serena and the photographer. Bernie was already sitting at the front, as if she knew that they would get there eventually, and Leah gave her a small nod before she cuddled close to her partner and waiting for Henrik and Roxanna to join them. "You look amazing," he whispered in her ear, and she nodded a little before turning a bit to rest her cheek on his chest.

"And you look so handsome in your suit. I can't believe that this day came up so quickly."

"Yes, well, I have the feeling that Henrik wanted to replace the very bitter knowledge that John was going to be behind bars for the rest of his natural life with something overwhelmingly happy. And I don't blame him for wanting that, seeing as how there has been so much sadness in the hospital recently. We have to find our little moments of joy wherever they may fall, and try to ignore the living ghosts of disappointment and sorrow when they come round."

Leah nodded before lifting her head and pressing her lips to his cheek. "I love the way you think, Sacha Levy. And I am so glad that you're in my life, too. I didn't expect to find this in my life when I first came to Holby, you know. I thought it would just end up with me learning about my sister and then moving on. But now I have a future brighter than I ever expected, and I don't think I would change a moment of it for the world. Sure, I made a few mistakes along the way, but it's how we learn from those mistakes that makes us who we are." Sacha rubbed her back slowly as he nodded before bending and kissing her forehead sweetly. And in his arms, she knew that she was truly home.


End file.
